Memoria Press History, Science and boxed curriculums for gr 3 & 6 GRADE CHANGE

[cin]

I've been looking at different science and history curriculums. I don't do very well with these two subjects, probably because most of them require parental involvement. Ok, that sounds a bit harsh and extreme, but that's the concise way to put it. So anyway, my soon-to-be 6th grader is a bookworm, loves to read history books, myths, science fiction, and anything but the assigned reading. She Enjoys bookish science but has sensory issues that cause her to freak if the word dissection is even mentioned. She might do okay with Chem and Phys. experiments, but biology/life science experiments are OUT. She won't even pet the starfish at the aquarium. BUT, she is VERY smart.

 

My 3rd grader hates school. She has never been in a B&M school, but she is artsy and creative, still misspells words she should know, and rushes through everything except handwriting--but that comes in various artistic forms: block, bubble, swirlies, hearts, etc. She has been tested, and is NOT Dyslexic. There might be something else though, and we might do further testing in the near future. She too, is not a fan of life science. I think she might enjoy chemistry experiments that go POP and BOOM, but generally....not science oriented. She also does not like to read anything but her boxed set of Beverly Cleary.

 

I give you that information as background so you know where I'm coming from. I don't think I need a STRONG hands on science curriculum for either girl. In doing my research I stumbled upon the Memoria Press science. In my cursory look last night, it appears to be more bookish. It looks like it covers the historical aspects--scientists, important dates, etc. but not a lot of 'gooey squishy' stuff. (That is how my girls describe science).

 

In addition, I looked at their history, and it appears that my 6th grader would be able to do the reading herself. I was going to put her in an Amer Hist. class at the co-op next year, but I might not need to do that if I use Memoria's history.

 

I'd *LOVE* any feedback you have on their stuff.

[sleeplessnights]

My oldest has used MP's 3rd grade and is using their 4th grade this year. You are right that the science is not experiment-centric. Their focus during the elementary years is to get some background information on a specific topic. Then you can then use this information how you want. This is great for us because experiments don't get done around here.

 

For 3rd grade Astronomy, 3/4 of the year is focused on the constellations and the stories (mostly Greek Myths) behind them. They are organized according to the time of year you can see them in the sky. The last 1/4 of the year you are learning about the planets, moon, comets, etc. My son loved the course and enjoys finding the constellations outside.

 

This year for 4th grade Insects, the course comes with a Charlotte Mason-y type of insects reader. It talks about different types of insects, what they do, where they are found, how they lay their eggs, etc. The workbook has comp questions and then a sketchbook/observation page to help learn the specific details of the different insects. Again, there are no experiments, just the occasional suggested activity.

 

The Greek Myths (3rd) and Famous Men of Rome (4th) work well for our family because they are also in storybook-format. My son does his WWE narration & dictation off of these stories, and then memorizes the vocabulary in each lesson. We spread the weekly lesson over four days to break it into smaller pieces.

 

We like MP because it is rigorous, interesting, and independent. It can be very workbook-y, but we break it up and do some work orally in order to minimize this.

 

I know that it might not be a good fit for all, but we have found their curriculum packages a good fit. Sorry I can't help you with the upper grades - we're not there yet!

[2_girls_mommy]

We did most of the 5th grade science this year, and I liked it. The bird unit gave us lots of opportunity to add nature study (bird watching and identifying etc.) if we wanted to, but we didn't have to. The History of Medicine study by Tiner gave a science history element to it. I liked it. I did add a lot to the series because I wanted hands on (in our case, both took a co-op class that corresponded well w/ it, so I personally didn't have to do much of the hands on, since they got their dissections done there, yay!) but you wouldn't have to, and I have considered sticking w/MP for at home science. I did purchase the 3rd grade Astronomy set for next year already, but I have yet to go through it carefully. I really like most MP materials. They aren't flashy, but they get the job done.

 

The 8th grader would be using the Tiner series, that is why I answered, since the 5th grade is the first year they have it. Not many people have used these yet, since they are new. I assume the guides are similar for the next years, just progressively tougher I would assume.

[cin]

2 girls mommy, thank you so much. My oldest is going into 6th, not 8th...not sure what I was thinking when I typed the title, but thank you for the information. I was wondering about those too, and if we could stay with MP for a few years or not. They girls like talking about animals and looking at pictures, but if they have to touch it, well, we go ALL GIRL. Our co-op offers a lot of great classes, but I would love to be able to give them enrichment there instead of academics, at least until I can no longer teach them confidently--another year or two, at the rate oldest is going! :bored: And your point about not flashy, thanks on that too! Oldest is easily distracted, so that too, can make a huge difference!