amydavis Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I'm considering using "Sassafras Zoology" (from the makers of Elemental Science) in the fall with a third grader. Has anyone used this or considered using it? I'm just wanting some feedback on whether or not you and your child enjoyed the program, whether or not you felt as if they learned from it, etc. I'm intrigued by the story format, especially since dd really enjoys "Life of Fred." Here is a link: http://www.sassafrasscience.com/volume1.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 We read the book as a read aloud. Eh. I was less than impressed. The kids enjoyed aspects of it, but I didn't think the integration of the information was great. The characters were on this big adventure and then they'd arrive and basically someone would lecture them about animals in between the adventure parts. The central story line wasn't wrapped up and my kids ended up annoyed at the very end of the book as a result. Plus, there were a lot of typos and I'm not usually someone who notices typos (note - when I mentioned this on my blog, the publisher contacted me and said they would be fixing some of the typos... I hope so...). I like the idea behind it a lot. I'm hoping they get better at it... and some people have really enjoyed it and I have heard that if you do it with the logbook or whatever - the accompanying worksheets and so forth - that it feels more educational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amydavis Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 The typos would bother me, too. Hopefully they got that taken care of! I would be bothered about the central story line, also. I'm wondering if it just keeps going with the next book in the series... Thanks for sharing your experience. If I got it, I'd definitely add on the log book, but still...I'd like to hear from someone that used it that way, and find out if that helped it out at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 We are using it right now and we love it! I'm working up a review for my blog, but it's not finished yet. We are using all of the parts with the the program: the TM, the logbook, and the story. It is only supposed to take one semester to complete, but I am dragging it out over a year so that it fits with our World Geography study. I had only read one chapter from the book when dd9 asked me, "Are there any more of these books? I want to do some more of these next year." :hurray: I've noticed some typos as well, but it hasn't bothered me that much. I'm glad they will be fixing them in future editions though. As for the story not ending, it's not supposed to end until the entire series is finished. The Sassafras twins are spending the entire summer with their uncle learning about science because they failed their science class in school. Zoology is just the first of their adventures that summer. The next books in the series is Human Anatomy, then Botany. I'm not sure what will be after that. I feel like my dd is learning quite a bit and she loves learning anything via stories. The only downside to the program (or it might be a plus depending on your ideas about elementary science!) is that there are not very many experiments and the ones there are seem to be more crafty to illustrate a point than a true experiment. I don't mind this at all because I'm not a huge experiment lover to start with, and my dd doesn't seem to mind because she loves the story so much. She fills out her logbook, I check out some movies/books about the topic, and we really dig into the subject being covered for that week. My Kindergartener is having some trouble keeping up with the program, but I am putting together my own logbook for her because the main logbook is just too much for her. For my K'er I'm mainly focusing on introducing her to some basic scientific concepts (classification, habitats, etc.) and learning a bit about animals which she likes. I am definitely planning on using Human Anatomy next year and possibly the Botany as well if it's out in time. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amydavis Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 Chelli, I didn't realize it was only a semester long. Did you just end up spending two weeks on a topic, instead of one? I really think dd would enjoy it, because she enjoys the story aspect of LOF. As far as science experiments/crafts...I guess I'm one of those moms that could take them or leave them! I guess if we needed to, we could add in some experiments. Since you say it's a semester's worth, I guess I could do zoology and anatomy next year. But I would like some ideas about stretching it out just in case we go that route. (BTW, totally off-topic, but what geography are you using?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 We're reading this as a read aloud right now! I didn't know there was a log book that goes with it. My 5 yo ds loves it. I think it feels like a lecture about animals interspersed with bits of adventure, but ds doesn't seem to mind. (So far, anyway.....we're not very far into it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovthesurf Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I am wondering exactly what kind of experiments a there would be for zoology anyway that would be much more than crafty, you know? I would like to know if the other levels have more in the way of experiments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I am wondering exactly what kind of experiments a there would be for zoology anyway that would be much more than crafty, you know? I would like to know if the other levels have more in the way of experiments. Someone who used it can speak to it more clearly, but I'm pretty sure it was basically notebooking pages and maybe some researching stuff and no experiments. We DIY science and we struggled to get more hands on with zoology this term, but we've found the book The Amateur Zoologist really useful if you're looking for something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I am wondering exactly what kind of experiments a there would be for zoology anyway that would be much more than crafty, you know? I would like to know if the other levels have more in the way of experiments. I'm thinking that this will be the case. Human body and botany would be much easier to add in experiments IMO. I did want to clarify that while there are not experiments, per se, there are, what I would call, demonstrations, why cats eyes glow in the dark, how giraffes can eat twigs and leaves without hurting their mouths, how camels are able to easily walk across the sand, etc. Someone who used it can speak to it more clearly, but I'm pretty sure it was basically notebooking pages and maybe some researching stuff and no experiments. We DIY science and we struggled to get more hands on with zoology this term, but we've found the book The Amateur Zoologist really useful if you're looking for something. The logbook is basically notebooking about different habitats and animals, two ongoing learning projects about animal diet and habitats, demonstrations about animal characteristics (see comment above), and vocabulary terms. The idea behind the logbook is that your child is filling out their SCIDAT book at the same time that Blaine and Tracy (the characters in the story) are filling out theirs. Also, thanks for the book rec! Our library had it so I put it on hold. I'd like to see if there is anything in there that would be worth our time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Chelli, I didn't realize it was only a semester long. Did you just end up spending two weeks on a topic, instead of one? Each chapter is divided up into two sections. According to the teacher guide you are supposed to spend a week on each chapter. There are alternative five day a week schedules or two day a week schedules. I used the five day a week schedule and only read one section of the chapter each week, then added in the supplemental reading/activites for those weeks. I really think dd would enjoy it, because she enjoys the story aspect of LOF. As far as science experiments/crafts...I guess I'm one of those moms that could take them or leave them! I guess if we needed to, we could add in some experiments. Since you say it's a semester's worth, I guess I could do zoology and anatomy next year. But I would like some ideas about stretching it out just in case we go that route. (BTW, totally off-topic, but what geography are you using? I used Expedition Earth by Confessions of a Homeschooler as a jumping off point, but I cut out most of her projects and focused more on culture by adding in a study of Cinderella stories around the world and fairy tales/literature from each country, plus I lined up Home Art Studio Grade 1 (which is art projects from different countries) and Sassafras Zoology with the appropriate countries to make a full year literature, geography, art, and science mish mash. I'm slowly (very slowly) getting all of the plans up on my blog.) Answers above in red. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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