Looking for a secular science for 7th grade

[Guest sjscnjs]

Looking for a secular science for 7th grade. My daughter loves science so I would like a strong program. Any recommendations?

[redsquirrel]

Any particular flavor of science? Hands on? Text based? No text? Living books?

 

If she likes a science challenge then I would suggest a combo of Building the Foundations of Scientific Understanding by Nebel for grades 6-8 (but maybe step back to the book that is before that one..grades 3-5 I think it is) and add in a bunch of TOPS Science units where desired.

[Guest sjscnjs]

I would like a textbook and it to very hands on, my dd loves experiments. I will look at both of those. Thank you for taking your time to give me your advice.

[redsquirrel]

The Nebel isn't text based. It is more discussion and free flowing. It is my idea of the perfect science program for homeschoolers...if I could just make it work. I go in and out of using Nebel.

 

There are a lot of good text-based programs out there. It can feel very 'public school' if you go that direction. I am mostly using "CPO Earth and Space" this year, along with some Nebel and some TOPS science. CPO is a textbook company.

 

Generally, textbooks for the public schools are secular. They are a safe bet when looking for secular science. However, because they are made for the classroom it can be difficult to figure out your own experiments. That is where things like TOPS Science or even Janice Van Cleve books come in. You can pair up a text book for reading with a Janice Van Cleve book and it becomes very workable.

[Alessandra]

Ds uses Holt Science & Technology in ps. I love the text -- very readable, well illustrated, lots of info, experiments at the back. IMO, if you just do an experiment in a book like VanCleave, you miss a lot of the theory behind the experiments. You can get used copies several years old for very modest prices.

 

ETA looking at pp -- we like TOPS also -- easy to get materials, nice "units," so all the experiments build on each other, very cost effective. FWIW, we tried Singapore Science briefly -- I liked the text and experiments, but there were so many books, thin ones, thick ones, supplements. Getting everything would have been $$$$$$, not to mention keeping track of all the books. Plus, some of the experiments required specialized lab equipment.

 

You could also add Science in a Nutshell kits to a textbook.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Alessandra

[Haiku]

I'd recommend Holt Science and Technology. They have middle-school books that are very interesting, with good questions and reviews. Their short-course books are very engaging and focus on a single topic, such as weather and climate, genetics, or earth's forces. They also have three thicker textbooks on Life, Earth, and Physical science. These all can be had for cheap on Amazon, and you can also get student guides with worksheets. (I got the Life textbook and student guide from Amazon for a total of $14, shipping included.)

 

I never planned to use a science textbook, but I have really struggled to find appropriately challenging material for my science-loving dd, and she really liked the short course books when she saw them at dd 17's school.

 

Tara

[Heathermomster]

For 7th grade, we are using CPO Life Science with labs and supplements. A PDF version is available for free on-line. I'm excited because we purchased a microscope, and I expect we will perform at least one dissection.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Heathermomster
Good grief!!I cannot spell.

[Crimson Wife]

I am planning on using Conceptual Chemistry by John Suchocki and Conceptual Physics by Paul Hewitt. These textbooks look like a good choice for a student who doesn't yet have the math required for regular high school chemistry & physics but is beyond what is covered in middle school texts.

[Briartell]

We are doing this: http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/

 

It is free except for the material to do the experiments. Every lesson starts with an experiment. It is referred to inquiry-based curriculum.

 

It was created by the American Chemical Society and it looks top notch. Bonus for me is that I can download the large textbook and student guide onto an iPad or my Nook Color.

 

A wonderful member here made a list of all the materials you would need for the eperiments here: http://quarksandquirks.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/review-middle-school-chemistry/

[Alessandra]

For 7th grade, we are using CPO Life Science with labs and supplements. A PDF version is available for free on-line. I'm excited because we purchased a microscope, and I expect we will perform at least one dissection.

 

I am planning on using Conceptual Chemistry by John Suchocki and Conceptual Physics by Paul Hewitt. These textbooks look like a good choice for a student who doesn't yet have the math required for regular high school chemistry & physics but is beyond what is covered in middle school texts.

 

We are doing this: http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/

 

It is free except for the material to do the experiments. Every lesson starts with an experiment. It is referred to inquiry-based curriculum.

 

It was created by the American Chemical Society and it looks top notch. Bonus for me is that I can download the large textbook and student guide onto an iPad or my Nook Color.

 

A wonderful member here made a list of all the materials you would need for the eperiments here: http://quarksandquirks.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/review-middle-school-chemistry/

 

:lurk5:Thanks for the good ideas!

[sagira]

You have had some good ideas. Our plan for 7th is to do Chemistry and Biology using BFSU 6-8, The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, The Way Science Works, and Tiner books. Basically go through all the threads in BFSU 6-8, but concentrate on Chemistry and Biology. We also plan to continue Nature Study.

[NittanyJen]

If you want a text, check CK12 Flexbooks online. They are starting to post some middle school materials. There are 4 biology options available, some with TM's and lab manuals. You choose what chapters to include in your Flexbooks and they're free!

[lillehei]

We love Science Fusion by Saxon Homeschool/HMH!

[Ann@thebeach]

My 7th gr son is enjoying the Prentice Hall Science Explorer series. They are a middle school textbook series.

He just reads the books and he does some of the experiments. He gives me a verbal summary of each chapter. We have the older books so don't have all the on-line support but it's working for him since he's learning and he's interested in the books.

[lilredmom]

lillehei....isn't the Saxon program all digital (online)?

 

Beth

[Deniseibase]

lillehei....isn't the Saxon program all digital (online)?

 

Beth

 

I'm not lillehei, but my K'er is doing Science Fusion too - a LOT of the program is online, but not all of it, there is a worktext that goes with it.

[Guest emilievak]

I also suggest this site:

 

http://www.physics-chemistry-class.com

 

There are some physics and chemistry lessons for various grades

[LAinVA]

I'm not lillehei, but my K'er is doing Science Fusion too - a LOT of the program is online, but not all of it, there is a worktext that goes with it.

 

 

We are going to use this for my upcoming 3rd grader. If you go to http://www.scribd.com/search?query=Science+Fusion you can scroll through and see each level. The download sample is pretty extensive and will give you a good idea of what is covered.

 

BTW, Homeschool Buyers Co-op is going to offer ScienceFusion at a discount very soon; up to 40% off.:001_smile:

[In2why]

We also use Holt Science and Technology textbooks. I found both the student and teachers editions on Amazon and for both with shipping they were less than $20. I like these because they include labbooks with lots of experiments. They have lots of connections and are well put together. Our only issue is that there is so much in each text that I have to pick and choose what to cover. Public schools don't do every page and there isn't any possibility that we could either.

[Arch at Home]

Thanks for posting this. It is just what I was looking for. My kids want to do lots of experiments in Chemistry and I have troubles getting all together. This program would force the issue.

[Candid]

We are doing this: http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/

 

It is free except for the material to do the experiments. Every lesson starts with an experiment. It is referred to inquiry-based curriculum.

 

It was created by the American Chemical Society and it looks top notch. Bonus for me is that I can download the large textbook and student guide onto an iPad or my Nook Color.

 

A wonderful member here made a list of all the materials you would need for the eperiments here: http://quarksandquirks.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/review-middle-school-chemistry/

 

As an update, the American Chemical Society folks revised this material adding about 100 pages more. That meant a few more experiments. You'll want to check for those.

[Briartell]

As an update, the American Chemical Society folks revised this material adding about 100 pages more. That meant a few more experiments. You'll want to check for those.

 

Awesome! Thanks for letting is know!