momto2Cs Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 With our schedule (I work part-time outside the home, and am working on my MA, also part-time) we are NOT getting enough science done. I like that Rainbow science seems to cover a lot of ground, and that they provide nearly everything. BUT, we prefer our science on the secular side. Any ideas? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stansclan89 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I thought that the author of Rainbow Science is Christian, but he wrote it to be secular? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 There aren't many biblical references - easy to get around - in the first year, but the second year would be tougher to approach from a secular perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Looking through, I have not seen anything that bugged me yet, but if you check the Amazon reviews, there seem to be many problematic factual errors. NOEO is not entirely secular, but it does look fairly good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stansclan89 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 When we tried NOEO it seemed really disjointed and didn't like it much. Others, I'm sure, like it just fine though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom2011 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Kolbe Academy uses secular texts for science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I am interested in this as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I thought Rainbow took a YEC approach to biology? One of the reasons I crossed it off my list was because my DH has banned YEC books for biology & earth/space science (he's not thrilled about them for physics or chem but those disciplines tend not to discuss controversial positions all that much). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I thought Rainbow took a YEC approach to biology? One of the reasons I crossed it off my list was because my DH has banned YEC books for biology & earth/space science (he's not thrilled about them for physics or chem but those disciplines tend not to discuss controversial positions all that much). Same here (including husband banning some texts for that reason). If Rainbow ISN'T yec, I would love to know. It would certainly make my life easier. FTR, Kolbe uses secular books and, while the books are best of the best PUBLIC SCHOOL texts (Holt is a middle school text they use), they write lesson plans, discussion topics, assignments, AND homeschool friendly labs for it. While Kolbe is Catholic, it is VERY easy to secularize until high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stansclan89 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I've been reading Holt Science reviews on Amazon--I think that Kolbe uses it because it is set up so that the chapter on evolution can be skipped. But you certainly don't need to... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I've been reading Holt Science reviews on Amazon--I think that Kolbe uses it because it is set up so that the chapter on evolution can be skipped. But you certainly don't need to... That would surprise me since The Church doesn't take a stance on evolution officially. They may set it up in their lesson plans that you can either do that chapter or not. They use the Holt Science and Technology books throughout junior high (and they use Holt life, earth, and physical), so I'm not sure they chose it because of one chapter in one of the books. I'm biased though - I'm a Kolbe fan. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stansclan89 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 That would surprise me since The Church doesn't take a stance on evolution officially. They may set it up in their lesson plans that you can either do that chapter or not. They use the Holt Science and Technology books throughout junior high (and they use Holt life, earth, and physical), so I'm not sure they chose it because of one chapter in one of the books. I'm biased though - I'm a Kolbe fan. Lol. I was thinking the same thing, but thought I had read that it would be skipped--I was mistaken. This is what I had seen: "The topics in the field of Earth Science sometimes present students and parents with controversial issues, including the origin of life on earth, formation of the universe (cosmology), and other issues. It is up to the parents as first teachers of their children to discuss these issues with their students and instruct the students in Church teaching. We have done our best to point out these controversial issues and to provide guidance on how to address them. For example, the topic of the Big Bang is studied in Quarter 4, Week 4, but Church teaching on this issue is addressed within the course plan." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I was thinking the same thing, but thought I had read that it would be skipped--I was mistaken. This is what I had seen: "The topics in the field of Earth Science sometimes present students and parents with controversial issues, including the origin of life on earth, formation of the universe (cosmology), and other issues. It is up to the parents as first teachers of their children to discuss these issues with their students and instruct the students in Church teaching. We have done our best to point out these controversial issues and to provide guidance on how to address them. For example, the topic of the Big Bang is studied in Quarter 4, Week 4, but Church teaching on this issue is addressed within the course plan." You may have also seen that in the Holt Life Science course, Kolbe skips entirely the short course in reproduction - although they do tell you where you can buy it if you want it (and that's easy enough, lol - Amazon). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Prentice-Hall Science Explorer segregates the chapters on evolution, the fossil record, and the origins of the universe as well. I think that's a strategy by the big PS publishers so that schools in the Bible Belt don't veto their program entirely because of controversial content. I wish Rainbow sold individual units, because I would've seriously considered getting their chem and physics ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I spent last summer doing intensive science experiments and the previous summer was a lot of programming. that helped get more science in. would the intellego unit studies work for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I wish Rainbow sold individual units, because I would've seriously considered getting their chem and physics ones. Physics and Chem are year one, Biology and Applied Science (Earth & Space Science) are year two. So it's possible, I suppose, to just buy year one from Rainbow, then move on to something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Same here (including husband banning some texts for that reason). If Rainbow ISN'T yec, I would love to know. It would certainly make my life easier. FTR, Kolbe uses secular books and, while the books are best of the best PUBLIC SCHOOL texts (Holt is a middle school text they use), they write lesson plans, discussion topics, assignments, AND homeschool friendly labs for it. While Kolbe is Catholic, it is VERY easy to secularize until high school. I would be interested in this as well. From what I've read Rainbow is more hands on and less "theory" in general. So I'm not sure how much they would actually get into these topics. If its short and light it may be very easy to skim over or skip all together. Although we're not opposed to at least presenting YEC in general, I would prefer discussions on OEC as well. I also wouldn't want a program that went into it excessively vs. focusing on the science topics themselves. IMO, It would be good to find out more about this before discounting Rainbow altogether. For example I found a good thread on this YEC/OEC question and some responses which indicate a variety of views being presented. I found this experience by Brenda in MA indicative of more of a balanced approach: "I do not find the author to be Young Earth at all. I found his approach to be respectful in acknowledging God as creator while not espousing any particular theology. My take is that he is Old Earth, but that's just a guess from having read the book several times. He does discuss Darwinism a bit, and I think that no matter what your beliefs, it's important to know that there are other beliefs out there and what they are. Darwinism is not treated as fact in Rainbow Science as it is in a lot of secular science books." -- http://forums.welltr...-hows-it-going/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I don't have any great upper-logic science recs that haven't already been mentioned, but I thought I'd throw this out there based on the last few posts. I don't always put much stock in what Cathy Duffy has to say (a few of her faves bombed for us), but I thought the following snippet of her review of Rainbow Science was interesting. From http://cathyduffyrev...bow-science.htm: "The curriculum is obviously Christian with its numerous references to God. Dr. Dobbins’ treatment of the theory of evolution is interesting. He says, “In this text we will attempt to teach the general theory of evolution because a good education in the sciences requires it. We present it as a theory… which we ourselves do not accept†(p. 136). However, it does not seem to me that evolution is taught in this text so much as it is undermined or argued against. Dr. Dobbins does not take a position on the age of the earth. Another sensitive subject might be human reproduction, but it is tastefully and conservatively explained." ETA: The religious slant is one thing, but any potential factual scientific errors, as mentioned by a PP, would be more troubling, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stansclan89 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 We're using Apologia's Human Anatomy and Physiology right now and I keep having to skip parts or give more explanation because of her young earth and no evolution theories. I wish I had chosen something else. But it is so readable. And everything except those two things are explained very well. And I am lazy... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 We're using Apologia's Human Anatomy and Physiology right now and I keep having to skip parts or give more explanation because of her young earth and no evolution theories. I wish I had chosen something else. But it is so readable. And everything except those two things are explained very well. And I am lazy... ;) Doesn't help that there is NOTHING secular, for that age group, "human anatomy". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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