What to use for a STEM heavy focus?

[PilotMama]

We just completed using K12 this year, and won't be re-doing it for the fall. DD is 6, boys are 8 & 10.

 

We will be using Right Start Math for them (I want to use and love MathUSee but we tried it last year and I just had so much trouble with it:confused:). They also have gone to Kumon but might go to Mathnasium this fall as a supplement/motivational tool.

 

Science we already have NOEO 1 (Bio, Chem & Phys) - but will probably only use Biology or Physics from them. I want to use RS4K Chemistry.

 

DH is a programmer and they work on HTML in frontpage, Alice.org, Scratch, Mindstorms, Snap Circuits. The kids also attend Play Well Tek Engineering classes 1x week.

 

I like the Engineering is Elementary materials but am SO overwhelmed with what to buy.

 

Any suggestions??

[serendipitous journey]

That looks STEM heavy to me. :)

 

You could look at, for science:

GEMS (marvelous, written for schools, rather labor-intensive).

TOPS (good reviews, not every unit is excellent, the electricity one is supposed to be)

Beautiful Feet's History of Science. Haven't used this yet, plan to in a year or so -- though we have quite a different religious perspective. There are Catholics who do not purchase from Beautiful Feet b/c they have seen such strong anti-Catholic rhetoric in the standard history books; that's just for full disclosure, you won't find in the History of Science (I've heard) but if it is an ethical issue you might want to look for a used copy or bypass it.

Dawkins' Science of Reality. This is not vitriolic-Dawkins, but will not be exactly friendly toward religion.

The Story of Science books. There are teaching guides; I gather the guide for the third book isn't as good, has a different publisher, etc.

 

livingmath.net

TOPS math units, esp. probability/statistics (see above TOPS link)

 

I've got nothing for you on tech & engineering per se, other than what you have. Do check out the Snap Circuits Student Guide (there's a thread about it here on K-8) if you want to actively teach the electronics: it give substantial theory, not simply projects.

 

If you are old-earth, there are excellent biology DVDs by David Attenborough; and the series How the Universe Works is also quite good. Mythbusters is a great extra-curricular activity :).

 

If you look for Engineering is Elementary on the Accelerated Board, you should find a recent thread; look esp. for posts by Beth, who loves that stuff! Feel free to PM me if you can't find it and are interested.

 

blessings,

ana

[Vida Winter]

We just completed using K12 this year, and won't be re-doing it for the fall. DD is 6, boys are 8 & 10.

 

We will be using Right Start Math for them (I want to use and love MathUSee but we tried it last year and I just had so much trouble with it:confused:). They also have gone to Kumon but might go to Mathnasium this fall as a supplement/motivational tool.

 

Science we already have NOEO 1 (Bio, Chem & Phys) - but will probably only use Biology or Physics from them. I want to use RS4K Chemistry.

 

DH is a programmer and they work on HTML in frontpage, Alice.org, Scratch, Mindstorms, Snap Circuits. The kids also attend Play Well Tek Engineering classes 1x week.

 

I like the Engineering is Elementary materials but am SO overwhelmed with what to buy.

 

Any suggestions??

 

 

Here are some engineering links:

 

lessons in electric circuits:

http://openbookproject.net//electricCircuits/

 

Try engineering

http://www.tryengineering.org/home.php

 

Intel design & discovery

http://educate.intel.com/en/DesignDiscovery/

 

Teach engineering

http://www.teachengineering.org/

 

Homeschool programming (product):

http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/index.php

 

For chemistry, the American Chemical Society has a free curriculum for elementary and middle school:

http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_SUPERARTICLE&node_id=180&use_sec=false&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=885bf2de-217c-46b2-b961-dccd982aed0b

 

There are other resources for physics, geology, etc. if you look around, especially at the professional organization sites.

 

ETA: I would be hesitant to pay big bucks for Engineering is Elementary curriculum. I like to reserve $$ for online coursework.

Edited June 18, 2012 by Dana in OR

[FairProspects]

I second the recommendation for GEMS. We found Supercharged Science to be very STEM focused as well (she was an engineering professor as Cal Poly SLO).

 

We have one of the Engineering is Elementary units, and I have planned it out for fall, but I haven't used it yet. My initial impression is that it is too "schooly" and paper driven (tons of worksheets, assessments, rubrics) for me to be happy with it when everything I read suggest most engineers learn by doing - just tinkering, building, fixing, and taking apart.

 

How about some extra-curricular STEM activities? It sounds like you already do quite a bit of programming, is there a Lego League, robotics class or rocket team/club you could join? In our humble experience, some of the best STEM opportunities are outside of school time.