science, does this exist?

[LEK]

I am planning for next year for 1st (we school over the calendar year). I am all set for curricula for every subject except science and I am just lost. I am looking for an open and go type curriculum with minimal to no parental planning. I need to be able to pick up the book and do the lessons with my dd using the book and maybe an encyclopaedia (with page numbers listed in the text) and then fill in associated work pages etc. Experiments also need to be open and go with the only planning required being assembly of equipment - I am hoping for 1 experiment per week.

Does this curriculum exist?

 

At the minute my current favorites are sassafras science or elemental science but I am open to all suggestions, seriously I have been looking for 12 months (since I was planning our K year) and I am just not finding what I want, or I have found it but am not sure how it will work maybe. In a serious science daze here, can anyone help please.

[KristenR]

Have you looked into RSO?

 

Or if you are really hoping for minimal prep work have you thought about getting an online subscription to something like Happy Scientist and working through videos and such on there?

[frugalmama]

Not sure if you are looking for secular or not, but Behold and See 1 & 2 from Catholic Heritage Curricula are almost exactly what you are describing. They aren't very Catholic either - a quote here and there that is easy to skip is all.

[stm4him]

I love apologia but I think it is better used with older children, personally. So I'm hoping to use Nancy Larson Science (by the author of the elementary Saxon math books) for Preschool-3rd (using them one grade level ahead) and apologia for grades 4-7 doing two books per year. We'll see how that goes next summer......From what I've read it fits what you're asking for....

[EKS]

I'd take a look at K12.

[momma2three]

Science Fusion? Don't know if HSBC is still having it on sale, but it seems to go on sale pretty often there.

[Mélie]

Nancy Larson Science sounds like it would be perfect for you. I bought it to use this year (we'll start in two weeks) and I'm impressed with what I see. :)

[ErinE]

We're using Elemental Science and I've found it very open-and-go. The student workbook provides the worksheets you're looking for.

[Farrar]

I think Elemental, RSO, Mr. Q and some of the other curricula are more open and go, but with science nothing involving experiments is going to be totally open and go the way that math or grammar or history can be. Of course, some people choose not to do experiments for science.

[LEK]

ooh forgot about RSO that is high on the list too, might be a serious contender.

 

I have looked at MrQ and have the free one on my PC but somehow it just is not clicking with me, i find it very confusing (and I have a science degree!). is it just me or is it just hard to get your head around his program? maybe i should have another look at it.

[allymom]

I don't have any curriculum suggestions, but I do know that there are several websites where you can get all the supplies you'll need for the experiments for several different curricula to make it easier to open and go. You would only have to provide the very common household objects, which we almost always have on hand. I really like pre-buying our science experiment supplies for the whole year, makes it so much easier.

[SevenDaisies]

I think Nancy Larson would work for you. RSO might be another choice.

 

Nancy Larson is hands down the easiest science curriculum to implement that I have ever used. Everything you need comes with the kit. The lessons are completely scripted, all the hands on materials are there, and there are worksheets to go along with the lessons. It is pricey, but it's very easy to use. That said, it was not a good fit for me. They rely a lot on picture cards and things like plastic bugs. I wanted something that required going outside to find real bugs. It's a great curriculum if it fits your style.

 

Real Science Odyssey would be another good choice. It's very hands-on, and everything is planned out. You do have to gather a lot of materials. My issue with RSO was that there are too many activities.

[MamaSheep]

Science in a Nutshell kits are very open and go. Each kit has around 10 activities, give or take, so if you did one activity per week you would get through three or four kits in a typical school year. The included books have good information about each activity, but you might want to also supplement by reading about the same topic in a children's science encyclopedia and maybe some library books. I don't know how many days a week you want to "do science", but you could have them do an activity one day, read more information another day, and then write about what they have learned and put their writing in a notebook on a third day.

[Hunter]

Evan-Moor Daily Science is as open and go as it gets. There are 24 pages samples available, at the link, but the workbooks are cheaper at Amazon and Rainbow. There are Big Idea units, broken in up into weekly concrete themes that support the Big Idea. There is only 1 experiment per Big Idea that is super easy to accomplish.

 

My students don't fill out the workbooks. We do them orally, with a lot of oral review of past lessons. They just copy and draw the parts of the pages that I tell them to, or sometimes we only do oral work. If a Big Idea is one they struggle with I supplement with library books and DVDs, but ONLY when I'm up to it. Sometimes I get the library stuff WEEKS LATER to review with.

 

For an experiment a week, I would buy small kits. Don't stress :banghead: over whether the kit matches the Big Idea or weekly concrete theme that you are working on. If it does match up, cool. :coolgleamA:

 

And don't forget Magic School Bus and Bill Nye videos. They ARE real science.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Hunter

[momto2Cs]

I think NOEO comes with everything you need.