How many times a week do you study science?

[pitterpatter]

Although I shoot for about three times a week, it seems like we ended up studying science four and five times a week this past year. I was in the same boat with history. I need to figure out some way to trim it down this year.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Well, I didn't know whether to vote 4 or 5 . . . we do science pretty much every day in the afternoon, but I suppose if you average over the year, it's more like 4 days a week, because it's not uncommon to do something different in the afternoon at least once a week . . . I work on Fridays, and dh is off with the girls, and if he wants to blow off 5th day of science and take them to the beach or hiking or something, I'm all for it!

[Walking-Iris]

I have the opposite consideration. We got to science 2 times a week at best. I'm trying to extend it to 3-4 days a week. We need to get immersed in something to keep interest high. 

[SilverMoon]

Based on the 6yo in your signature, I voted for two days. At that age we're only doing the science projects and experiments no more than twice a week, but we do keep a book on a science topic in our daily read aloud stack. I don't include this in the amount of science days because we're just reading and discussing, not "working through" the books.

[Five More Minutes]

When we started, I tried doing science 2 days a week. It wasn't enough for my girls this past year, so we aimed for 4 days a week. Sometimes we only fit it in 3 times in a week.

[Haiku]

We do history and science in 2-week rotations. Each is studied for an hour a day, 5 days a week, during its rotation.

 

Tara

[Χά�ων]

We do things a bit different here. We have daily subjects that we spend less time on but do 5-6 times a week. They are Math, Language arts and reading instruction.

 

Then we do longer blocks of time for history and science and spend 2 hours a day twice a week for each subject. Monday and Wednesday for science and Tuesday and Thursday for History. DS is highly motivated in History and Science and has no problem attended to the subject for that long. Many kids his age could not handle that long of a time for one subject and it is not a fit for everyone.

[bluemongoose]

I needed an other!

 

During the fall-spring we do science 2-3x a week. During the summer we do it 4-5x.

[Arcadia]

Formally, we do science twice a week during the school year since we use a virtual academy. Informally it can be everyday of the year as my kids do their own interest led "science"

[Vanchy]

We do science twice a week at home and once with his Co-op group.

[boscopup]

Depends on when you ask... :tongue_smilie:

 

For 1st-3rd grade, it was really "zero" most of the time. Not that he didn't do science, but we didn't do it as a formal subject. I provided plenty of library books and good science reference books, and he read them on his own time. He has quite a bit of science knowledge. I also provided him with Science Wiz kits, so he could do experiments on occasion. This method works really well for a kid that always has their nose in a book. ;) The kids also watch Magic Schoolbus videos once a week (we got the whole set).

 

This year (4th), we're kind of aiming for daily, but it ends up being 3-4 days most weeks, and I'm totally cool with that. We're using a curriculum this year, and he really likes it, so he wants to do it everyday. :D Also, our weeks alternate 4 and 5 days for school in general, since DH works 9/80s and has every other Friday off. I don't school when DH is home, so DH can take the kids somewhere fun or let them help him with stuff around the house/yard/garage. So half the weeks, we can only get science in 4 days anyway, and that's IF we don't have other things cropping up (doctor appointments, swim lessons, etc.). We'll probably get to it more often in the fall when those things subside.

 

I'm not doing formal science with my first grader this year. He'll continue to watch Magic Schoolbus, and we'll keep getting science library books and such. We also discuss the world around us often. I'll google the answers to his science questions sometimes, etc. My focus for this kid is to get him reading fluently and writing "with ease". I'm not worried about science (or history) this year. Even without "doing" science, he's still getting more science than my oldest got in private school 1st grade. :tongue_smilie:

[AK_Mom4]

We do science 5 days a week, but DD is 12.  Back when she was little, we alternated - 2 days science, 2 days history, 1 day fun crafty stuff

[MinivanMom]

With a 6-yr-old, I would only be doing formal science 2 times a week.

[pitterpatter]

For those of you who study only two days a week, can you post what you usually do during those two days? I can't fathom being able to get everything accomplished in only two days without the day stretching immensely long. Do you cover an entire chapter/unit in those two days (for the most part)?

[Karen in CO]

For little ones, we do a lot more nature study than we do science. My older dd did science 5 days a week for half the year last year. My younger dd had frequent nature studies along with a main lesson block of science which lasted for two weeks every six.

[pitterpatter]

I've been thinking about this...trying to figure out whether we would be able to accomplish as much scheduling history and science in this manner.

 

 

We do history and science in 2-week rotations. Each is studied for an hour a day, 5 days a week, during its rotation.

Tara

 

[Desert Strawberry]

We have always done a block schedule, with core subjects every day and science, history, art, music, whatever, once a week. I voted once a week. 
I'm changing that this year. We are doing a very laid back unit-type study with documentaries and story books. We'll do it every day. 
Next year, when we add in formal science for my oldest, We'll probably do once or twice a week. 

 

When you all say "It wasn't enough", what does that mean? They wanted more? Or you didn't finish your intended work on time and had to spread it out more?

[Desert Strawberry]

DP

[Haiku]

I've been thinking about this...trying to figure out whether we would be able to accomplish as much scheduling history and science in this manner.

It means we only get 20 weeks of each subject (we school year-round and do 40 weeks because we take every 5th week off and two weeks at Christmas/end of June). But we have been able to accomplish everything we wish to accomplish.

 

For example, this year we used Holt Science and Technology: Life, a 6-8 text for my then 4th and 5th graders. I didn't want to sprint through the 654 pages of the book, so we did 4 units: genetics/heredity, evolution, classification, and ecology. I just chose the chapters from the book that corresponded. I felt that was quite enough science.

 

Tara

[pitterpatter]

We school year-around too, except for family vacations and such. It might still work. If we just continue on as we go...doing something productive ever day instead of cutting it off at 3 or 4 days for some subjects. Over time, it might work out. I need to really give this some additional thought. Thank you for replying! Might be easier on me in planning as well.

 

 

It means we only get 20 weeks of each subject (we school year-round and do 40 weeks because we take every 5th week off and two weeks at Christmas/end of June). But we have been able to accomplish everything we wish to accomplish.

For example, this year we used Holt Science and Technology: Life, a 6-8 text for my then 4th and 5th graders. I didn't want to sprint through the 654 pages of the book, so we did 4 units: genetics/heredity, evolution, classification, and ecology. I just chose the chapters from the book that corresponded. I felt that was quite enough science.

Tara

 

[ScoutTN]

Usually twice a week, formally. But in reality it's way more than that when you count science related library books, videos, nature study generated from everyday life and various projects or topics that we get fascinated with. 

Every once in a while we do a science week (or a history week) and immerse ourselves in it, covering many lessons. Usually in the summer or winter, when other activities are fewer and it's not as fun to be outside.

[Soror]

For ds at 6, I don't recall, we did BFSU for awhile, BCP for awhile and nature study as well off and on the first few years. Now with dd I didn't do anything formally for k, for 1st I'm still contemplating I'm some FIARish science activity 1x a week. She likes Nature Study and that is done pretty naturally.

[ScoutTN]

For those of you who study only two days a week, can you post what you usually do during those two days? I can't fathom being able to get everything accomplished in only two days without the day stretching immensely long. Do you cover an entire chapter/unit in those two days (for the most part)?

 

 

We use RSO and just do two of the labs or experiments. Not usually a problem on time. Sometimes there is something that we have to come back and check later. I will have assembled all the supplies ahead of time and done any prep while kids are playing outside. We spend 15-45 minutes in the early afternoon. If we get a short one, we might add in some reading and fit in a third day of science later in the week. 

[pitterpatter]

I guess I can see that. We started with RSO and I felt like there wasn't enough context so I started adding books and videos. DD adores books (and videos) and learns well from them. It just mushroomed from there. Eventually, I gave up RSO because there wasn't enough fluidity for me. That's part of my problem...trying to figure out what/how to trim when what we're doing is enjoyable for DD and working so well. Time-wise, I always feel crunched.

 

 

We use RSO and just do two of the labs or experiments. Not usually a problem on time. Sometimes there is something that we have to come back and check later. I will have assembled all the supplies ahead of time and done any prep while kids are playing outside. We spend 15-45 minutes in the early afternoon. If we get a short one, we might add in some reading and fit in a third day of science later in the week. 

 

[foxbridgeacademy]

We did Science 3 times a week and History 2 times per week last year. It ended up taking so much time that we often were to tired to do much else. So I tried to switch it up by doing Science or History last.... again it took to long, we never got it all done. So I'm hoping this year to do the opposite and do both daily in short bursts.

[bnwhitaker]

I put 2x but that was for our core and when we do its a pretty good chunk of time.  But they also do EM daily science 4-5 times a week which is about 5 min long.  I only add in EM to get a little extra.

[Kelly1730]

I don't have time this morning to read all the replies (it's day camp week and I really should be in the shower!) I voted two because that's what we've done in the past but I'm trying a more of a "multum non multa" course this year and really, really, really hope to do science in one day and only add in a second for a project/experiment or quiz/test. We'll see what happens when the rubber hits the road:) 

[jenrwheeler]

We split our afternoon time between Science and History, usually doing between 2 and 3 days of science each week. Right now I am struggling with deciding between doing those 2 days back to back for continuity with the subject matter or alternating between history and science throughout the week

[brendag]

We are doing the msnucleus.org science program that Lewelma mentioned on one of the science threads awhile back. We just recently started, but my kids are loving it and so am I. It is my year of trying it instead of BFSU. You need to do it 3 days a week because they have a pre-lab, lab and post lab. Plus, it's FREE.

[SilverMoon]

For those of you who study only two days a week, can you post what you usually do during those two days? I can't fathom being able to get everything accomplished in only two days without the day stretching immensely long. Do you cover an entire chapter/unit in those two days (for the most part)?

 

My 6yos didn't have a science that came in chapters or units that they had to finish by the end of the year. We did something similar to the WTM recommendations. Read a spine, and do an activity like planting seeds or a paper craft to show how muscles pull bones. Perhaps toss a book on that topic into the daily read aloud pile. Done. :001_smile:

[Walking-Iris]

My 6yos didn't have a science that came in chapters or units that they had to finish by the end of the year. We did something similar to the WTM recommendations. Read a spine, and do an activity like planting seeds or a paper craft to show how muscles pull bones. Perhaps toss a book on that topic into the daily read aloud pile. Done. :001_smile:

 

I tried to do science like that for many years. It never got done. Having the curriculum means I have some accountability and lessons planned out for me. I don't stress about rushing to finish a book in a year though. I use the curriculum as a guide to keep me on track and get the science done. If it goes over into the summer  or the next year, no worries. 

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

We do science 5x a week. Actual reading and working on science 4x a week and 1x a week we do nature study.