thowell Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I have looked at a ton now and am totally confused. I want something with really good instructions and some scientific explanation. This will be for dd12 so I don't want something with simple concepts. This is what we will build our science off of next year so which ones are the best? Some of the Thames and Cosmos received bad reviews because the materials were said to be flimsy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 DS13 has worked his way through Thames & Cosmos' Milestones in Science kit this year. The good: -lots of different experiments! We were able to pair it with both his science course (Noeo Physics II) and history (medieval/renaissance). There's quite a variety and most worked well for us. -each experiment has a blurb about the inventor/scientist who pioneered the technique and what it meant to the scientific community. The instructions were simple but the experiments themselves sparked an interest in further experiments. The bad: -the models are not meant to be kept forever. They are cardboard. -there are also lots of little pieces. We ended up sticking the smallest ones in a baggie. -the book is not arranged chronologically, but by subject. It took a little planning to match things up well. Overall we've both been happy with the kit. For the number of experiments we got at the price it is a good value. I have invested more in sturdier kits but this is the only one that has a year's worth of learning inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 DS13 has worked his way through Thames & Cosmos' Milestones in Science kit this year. The good: -lots of different experiments! We were able to pair it with both his science course (Noeo Physics II) and history (medieval/renaissance). There's quite a variety and most worked well for us. -each experiment has a blurb about the inventor/scientist who pioneered the technique and what it meant to the scientific community. The instructions were simple but the experiments themselves sparked an interest in further experiments. The bad: -the models are not meant to be kept forever. They are cardboard. -there are also lots of little pieces. We ended up sticking the smallest ones in a baggie. -the book is not arranged chronologically, but by subject. It took a little planning to match things up well. Overall we've both been happy with the kit. For the number of experiments we got at the price it is a good value. I have invested more in sturdier kits but this is the only one that has a year's worth of learning inside. That is good to know. Did you use other resources with it? What type of text did you use along with it or is any other needed? I was thinking of getting a kit to go along with AIG Heat and Motion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 That is good to know. Did you use other resources with it? What type of text did you use along with it or is any other needed? I was thinking of getting a kit to go along with AIG Heat and Motion. No other text is needed, but it is broken down into sections like astronomy, electricity, force and motion..if you wanted to do unit studies you could pull them together pretty easily. Lucky for us, Noeo broke it down the same way. If you don't have one already I would suggest a good science encyclopedia. We use Usborne and it would be very easy to go back and forth between the kit and the page in the encyclopedia, then hit up the links on the bottom of the page to round off the lesson with some games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acrosier Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I'm always disappointed by those science kits. The quality is just not there, especially for the price. I have not yet looked at it, but am using the earlier grade books, but have you considered Building Foundations in Science for the middle grades? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I have only used them to supplement our regular experiments, but I am always impressed with the Science Wiz kits. We recently used the DNA SW kit. We extracted banana DNA, our own cheek cell DNA, did a Karyotyping exercise, built a DNA molecule and unzipped it, then used matching base pairs to build two identical DNA molecules from the original templates, etc. everything worked as advertised; the booklet provided explanations (not super deep, but a good jumping off point) and the directions were excellent. We have also used the chem, chem+, color, and one other basic physics kit. I am eyeballing the inventions kit when we cover physics year after next (my kds are 8 and 11). For several experiments in a box, the $20 boxes are a pretty good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 The only thing I can think of Exploration Education. Actually, the real reason I posted was that with all this Beast Academy math talk going on.....every time I see your post I think it's saying "Beast science experiment kit". I need a nap. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 The only thing I can think of Exploration Education. Actually, the real reason I posted was that with all this Beast Academy math talk going on.....every time I see your post I think it's saying "Beast science experiment kit". I need a nap. :001_smile: I really like the look of this but have heard the text was boring. Plus unless I am missing something everything has to be read online with no audio and dd12 would go crazy. I am trying to figure out the best and easiest route to follow more of a WTM structure but have decided not to do one topic all year since we are so late in the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 No other text is needed, but it is broken down into sections like astronomy, electricity, force and motion..if you wanted to do unit studies you could pull them together pretty easily. Lucky for us, Noeo broke it down the same way. If you don't have one already I would suggest a good science encyclopedia. We use Usborne and it would be very easy to go back and forth between the kit and the page in the encyclopedia, then hit up the links on the bottom of the page to round off the lesson with some games. Good to know. Noeo is actually at the top of my list right now if I decide to go with a packaged curriculum. How did you like it. How much easier is it than using one of the kits and an Encyclopedia and just assigning what to do and read yourself? I was thinking of doing it this way so we would have time to add in biographies on scientists that we never seem to get to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 My other top choice is to go with several TOPS books and use an encyclopedia to go with it. Which sounds better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I really like the look of this but have heard the text was boring. Plus unless I am missing something everything has to be read online with no audio and dd12 would go crazy. I am trying to figure out the best and easiest route to follow more of a WTM structure but have decided not to do one topic all year since we are so late in the game. Oh, I hadn't heard that about the text. I thought there was audio on the CD-Rom. I'll have to check (I have it but we decided to use it next school year...starting this summer, actually, because there are soooo many lessons). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 That would be better if there was audio. The sample I watched online didn't seem to have any. Would you let me know please? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 The only thing I can think of Exploration Education. :001_smile: EE's genius is the hands on stuff. Someone really thought these out and you build your own racer to study forces, etc. A 12 year old ought to be independent with the intermediate level. The basics are introduced in a simple way with some clear moving diagrams, and I think a 12 year old would feel very content with him/her self for figuring it all out. Like what a novelist said about not spelling everything out, but leaving so the reader figures what you are getting at out.... makes the reader feel *smart*. I haven't done the chem or light stuff, but all the rest has been painless, every model has worked, and all in all, I'm very pleased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 EE's genius is the hands on stuff. Someone really thought these out and you build your own racer to study forces, etc. A 12 year old ought to be independent with the intermediate level. The basics are introduced in a simple way with some clear moving diagrams, and I think a 12 year old would feel very content with him/her self for figuring it all out. Like what a novelist said about not spelling everything out, but leaving so the reader figures what you are getting at out.... makes the reader feel *smart*. I haven't done the chem or light stuff, but all the rest has been painless, every model has worked, and all in all, I'm very pleased. Do they just read the text from the screen or is there audio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Good to know. Noeo is actually at the top of my list right now if I decide to go with a packaged curriculum. How did you like it. How much easier is it than using one of the kits and an Encyclopedia and just assigning what to do and read yourself? I was thinking of doing it this way so we would have time to add in biographies on scientists that we never seem to get to. We butcher the heck out of Noeo. :D I'll admit it. While we love the books and the study order, the science experiments they list are far below grade level and not nearly enough (except with the Gizmos and Gadget book in Physics II). It's why I combined it with Milestones In Science and two other kits that I use for cub scouts. I wanted at least one experiment every week. MiS alone provides that. We had read at least one of the books before, too, so that got substituted with another resource. I think if I had it to do over I would consider looking at the Creek Edge Press science cards, using whichever books we wanted, and buying the kits I felt worked best. That way I wouldn't be feeling almost guilty about taking something apart and pasting it together our way. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 We butcher the heck out of Noeo. :D I'll admit it. While we love the books and the study order, the science experiments they list are far below grade level and not nearly enough (except with the Gizmos and Gadget book in Physics II). It's why I combined it with Milestones In Science and two other kits that I use for cub scouts. I wanted at least one experiment every week. MiS alone provides that. We had read at least one of the books before, too, so that got substituted with another resource. I think if I had it to do over I would consider looking at the Creek Edge Press science cards, using whichever books we wanted, and buying the kits I felt worked best. That way I wouldn't be feeling almost guilty about taking something apart and pasting it together our way. :lol: I have looked at the task cards several times. I love the concept and the amount of independent work it would bring to her day. However do you think it would be enough for 7th grade? Also, is thee any way to find out what resources you would need so I can figure out my total cost before I purchase the set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Do they just read the text from the screen or is there audio? There is no audio, but the text is one largish print page often with moving diagrams on it. I would encourage you to help a 12 year old to be able to read a page of simple info sans audio without "going crazy". The computer part is a *small* part. Most of it is hands on, and then a little documentation of results and a sentence or two (you could do much more) on the meaning of the results. The hands on is very well designed. My son begs us to get out the box. The photos and little vids on how to assemble the various devices is **very** clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 There is no audio, but the text is one largish print page often with moving diagrams on it. I would encourage you to help a 12 year old to be able to read a page of simple info sans audio without "going crazy". The computer part is a *small* part. Most of it is hands on, and then a little documentation of results and a sentence or two (you could do much more) on the meaning of the results. The hands on is very well designed. My son begs us to get out the box. The photos and little vids on how to assemble the various devices is **very** clear. Thanks, it is not the reading that she hates it is the reading from the screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thanks, it is not the reading that she hates it is the reading from the screen. My son, too. But the print is big, the color/contrast not annoying, the little moving diagrams really HELP. I thought the CDrom part would be awful (we don't do any web-based subjects) but it has not been annoying. Best of all, kiddo, who has a tendency to have things he is not vested in fly "in one ear and out the other" is really cleaning up on the end of section quizzes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 My son, too. But the print is big, the color/contrast not annoying, the little moving diagrams really HELP. I thought the CDrom part would be awful (we don't do any web-based subjects) but it has not been annoying. Best of all, kiddo, who has a tendency to have things he is not vested in fly "in one ear and out the other" is really cleaning up on the end of section quizzes. I just noticed your son was 9.5. What level is he doing? Is the advanced level enough for 7th grade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I am a big fan of TOPS. Every year I realize that science would have been better if I had done more TOPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I just noticed your son was 9.5. What level is he doing? Is the advanced level enough for 7th grade? My son is Mr Wiggly, but has a lot of "science sense" (I am geeky, and from a widely geek family). We do it all together. I would think a 12 year old could do it mostly by him/herself and feel mighty big and talented for doing so. As for the raw facts, at that age we would flesh out, being from the republic of Geekistan. It is a lot more science that I got in ps in 7th grade! E.g. the electricity component could have separate book study on how to draw diagrams, and some more complex ideas, like rheostat could be added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 I am a big fan of TOPS. Every year I realize that science would have been better if I had done more TOPS. UGH! I have looked at these too. Especially with the plans Lori D posted in an older thread. I wish someone else could make up my mind for me. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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