6th Grade Science - Does it really matter what we do at this age?

[Mom0012]

My dd has a pretty heavy workload next year. I'm thinking about just letting her read her box of "Horrible Science" books and then using WP's Slimy, Grimy and Scummy No More program one day a week IF it doesn't wind up being as choppy as it appears to be at first glance. Objections? Seriously, she's taking 2 languages, switching from CLE to Saxon 8/7 (which takes double the time so far), taking a very heavy duty lit class as well as a writing class that will have her cranking out 5 paragraph papers on a regular basis. I'm going to use Beautiful Feet's Music Appreciation program with her instead of SL H to cut things back a bit and I had planned to use Holt Science with her, but maybe I should wait until next year? Does it really matter what they do for science in middle school as long as they get a strong math foundation and have general knowledge on a variety of topics?

[g1234]

Funny....my husband and I were just talking about this last weekend. He has his MS and has been working in the field for 17 years. He is strongly convinced that the main things that are really necessary in order to keep doors open for possible college fields of study are math and decent writing skills. We were talking about this because our science curriculum kind of bombed for us this year. I was feeling bad about that. The kids did learn something, but I'm afraid I did more damage than good because now they think they don't like science. :sad: So I was agonizing about what to try for next year. I wasn't pleased with most of what I was finding out there. I do think we've found something that may work, but I felt a lot better after we talked. It's not that we're going to stop exposing our kids to science, but I really think that, to answer you question, it doesn't matter much at this age, as long as you don't teach them to hate it (note to self...). As you said, I think you'll be doing great "as long as they get a strong math foundation and have general knowledge on a variety of topics." I couldn't have put it better myself! :001_smile:

[regentrude]

No, it does not matter. I do not use any formal science program before high school, but rather lots of library books, documentaries, field trips. Our goal is to instill an interest in science and to create some broad background knowledge on which to build a systematic study in high school. Her math preparation is far more important for her future science success than what exactly she does in 6th grade science.

Btw, my DH and I both teach physics at the university, so a strong science education is definitely high on our priority list. But it does not have to be formal in middle school.

[dewdropfairy]

No, it does not matter. I do not use any formal science program before high school, but rather lots of library books, documentaries, field trips. Our goal is to instill an interest in science and to create some broad background knowledge on which to build a systematic study in high school. Her math preparation is far more important for her future science success than what exactly she does in 6th grade science.

Btw, my DH and I both teach physics at the university, so a strong science education is definitely high on our priority list. But it does not have to be formal in middle school.

 

 

That's really good to know. I listened to a talk by SWB where she suggested just making sure they have a strong math and reading background and a basic understanding of the scientific method during the middle grades. That's what I've been leaning toward doing myself, but it is always nice to hear other real world examples.

[Mom0012]

No, it does not matter. I do not use any formal science program before high school, but rather lots of library books, documentaries, field trips. Our goal is to instill an interest in science and to create some broad background knowledge on which to build a systematic study in high school. Her math preparation is far more important for her future science success than what exactly she does in 6th grade science.

Btw, my DH and I both teach physics at the university, so a strong science education is definitely high on our priority list. But it does not have to be formal in middle school.

 

Well, that settles it then! If anyone would know, it is you. :001_smile: Thank you! I love the idea of just building her interest while solidifying her math skills. I wish I had gone that route with my son.

[Spetzi]

I think your idea is fine. Exposure to topics and basic ideas of science will be helpful later on. This can be achieved via some of the things you mentioned and TV shows and magazines, too. My daughter loves Mythbusters, NOVA, Through the Wormhole as well as Popular Science and Discover magazines.

 

Another way to do that is to do science more regularly for part of the year. Say do minimum language arts in the fall so you have time for science and do very little science in the spring and work on writing. I've found my kids retain more with this type of continuity.

 

Good luck!

[Mom0012]

I think your idea is fine. Exposure to topics and basic ideas of science will be helpful later on. This can be achieved via some of the things you mentioned and TV shows and magazines, too. My daughter loves Mythbusters, NOVA, Through the Wormhole as well as Popular Science and Discover magazines.

 

Another way to do that is to do science more regularly for part of the year. Say do minimum language arts in the fall so you have time for science and do very little science in the spring and work on writing. I've found my kids retain more with this type of continuity.

 

Good luck!

 

Mythbusters and Bill Nye have been popular here in the past. I think Bill Nye actually has programming for older kids as well, so I will look into that. I've also had the tab open on my iPad to purchase Discover magazine for a few days. I think that would be a hit with both of my kids.

[Aloha2U]

Does it really matter what they do for science in middle school as long as they get a strong math foundation and have general knowledge on a variety of topics?

 

 

Although we're not doing 6th *yet*, it'll come soon enough. Thinking out loud here, but... I diverted from our initial 3rd-8th grade science plans when GDS Physical World just wasn't floating our boat this year. We still did our projects/kits, but I came across Memoria Press Science and ended up switching gears ( ;)). In our history studies we covered VP New Testament Greece and Rome, and MP Astronomy works perfectly alongside it. Anyway, I like the idea of MP's suggestions for Science and will most likely continue with them.

 

On a side note, I partook of a live webinar today, Festina Lente, Make Haste Slowly, by Christopher Perrin of Classical Academic Press - we love Latin for Children. It's worth the watch if you've got the time. He mentioned having a love for learning and, more specifically at one point, loving the language of math, as it can be seen everywhere. He went on further to say that music is math. Now... my little man, who's doing Suzuki violin, heard this and it piqued his curiosity, especially when Mr. Perrin mentioned the different patterns that sand makes when vibrated at various harmonious frequencies.

 

Check these out:

 

 

 

All that is to say that I agree with previous posters. :)

[Mom0012]

 

 

 

Although we're not doing 6th *yet*, it'll come soon enough. Thinking out loud here, but... I diverted from our initial 3rd-8th grade science plans when GDS Physical World just wasn't floating our boat this year. We still did our projects/kits, but I came across Memoria Press Science and ended up switching gears ( ;)). In our history studies we covered VP New Testament Greece and Rome, and MP Astronomy works perfectly alongside it. Anyway, I like the idea of MP's suggestions for Science and will most likely continue with them.

 

On a side note, I partook of a live webinar today, Festina Lente, Make Haste Slowly, by Christopher Perrin of Classical Academic Press - we love Latin for Children. It's worth the watch if you've got the time. He mentioned having a love for learning and, more specifically at one point, loving the language of math, as it can be seen everywhere. He went on further to say that music is math. Now... my little man, who's doing Suzuki violin, heard this and it piqued his curiosity, especially when Mr. Perrin mentioned the different patterns that sand makes when vibrated at various harmonious frequencies.

 

Check these out:

 

 

 

All that is to say that I agree with previous posters. :)

 

Wow! Those YouTube videos are very cool!

[happypamama]

I don't think it matters what you study.

 

That being said, we're doing with a more formal program this year for science, because it is my least favorite subject and the hardest one for me to make sure I get done. There's a lot of informal science here, but I felt like we needed a little more this year. I also found that our history program will naturally be a bit lighter, so I feel good about bumping up our science a bit.

[Lanny]

<snip>

He went on further to say that music is math. Now... my little man, who's doing Suzuki violin, heard this and it piqued his curiosity, especially when Mr. Perrin mentioned the different patterns that sand makes when vibrated at various harmonious frequencies.

 

 

Music and Math are closely related. Many years ago, I worked for a government contractor. I shared an office with about 6 people. Two or three of them had degrees in Music and then went on to get an M.S. in Math and were working as Engineers...

[Lanny]

I asked my DD about this thread and your concern for your DD . Science is her favorite and best subject. She got a 97 for the semester. She enjoys the subject, although she said sometimes she needs to read the material, 4 or 5 times, to truly understand. Probably Science is the hardest course for Home Schoolers or Distance Learners, because sometimes one needs to buy something that is hard to find locally, for an experiment. DD said that studying Science also makes it easier to understand things she watches on Discovery Channel or other channels. Your DD has a very heavy load, with 2 Foreign Languages, etc.... GL

[2_girls_mommy]

I am lightening the science load this year too. We always did an approach like Regentrude for grammar stage, using WTM as a guideline. Last year for 5th I enrolled dd in a co-op science class w/ a lot of homework, textbook work on top of what we did at home when we could. I decided not to re enroll her for next year as I think we will have time for that later. She did get a lot out of the class in that they did a lot of dissections and other activities in class that I didn't have to put together (big plus for me LOL) but I chose her classes for next year to include a more fun, laid back, no homework science class at co-op instead of the textbook homework one. That way at home we will do as others have said. I bought some books and workbooks and a telescope and microscope and we will do those keeping a science journal of some sort or just doing the workbooks as is. I will see how it goes.

[Guest]

I used 5th grade Abeka last year for my dd. I don't normally use any Abeka, but I borrowed it from a friend, and it looked promising as an independent way for her to learn general science. We skipped the text questions, quizzes and tests. All she had to do was read the chapter and come up with 3 questions of her own for me to answer. She loved to try and stump me. It was a fun way for her to absorb what she was reading.

[Storm Bay]

Not at all, and Horrible Science is a lot of fun. However, I do like doing one science per year most of the time, with the exception of my middle one who doesn't like science; she did RS4 K one year, but it has its weaknesses (well, it did back then) in some of the books, but we loved the Chemistry part at that age.

 

I recommend Paul Hewitt's Touch This! Physics book, which is what ds did in grade 6. Lots of hands on & some good investigative Physical Science. My eldest was doing trade books at that point and she is going to college on a full ride scholarship this fall (okay, not quite as she has to buy books, but she gets all her tuition, fees, room & board covered by her scholarship) despite this. That said, we did start doing more rigourous science with her in gr 7, and of course there is no guarantee of scholarships regardless of what you do for science :). I should add that she switched to ps during her sophomore year and that her scholarship was due to her class ranking combined with her SAT scores, so not something she could have received as a homechooler since class ranking is meaningless (not fair, I know!!!!! Ds is still homeschooling.)