Garethville Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I'm trying to decide between these two programs for our kindergarten year next year. Other than the obvious difference of price, what are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymotherof4 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 We used elemental science for K. It was a lot of fun. We used Sonlight in 1st. The books were nice. My son loved the experiment video but my son was bored after a while. The experiments didn't match with the topics covered. I would choose elemental. It had a nice variety. My son loved the experiments. We did an occasional art project to go with it. It was fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPMommy Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Never used Sonlight, but have used, still use, and love Elemental Science! I do buy readers, just to add to it, but it is a great program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachingmy3 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Another vote for Elemental! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I've used both and prefer Elemental. The books used for Sonlight are really nice, but the worksheets are lame, and as someone else already said, the experiments don't line up with the reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethville Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Ok, thanks! I like the price of Elemental better for sure. I also like how there are supplemental activities/snacks/crafts listed. My main reason for considering Sonlight was because of some of the units on weather and engines, etc. My son is really into both weather and how things (especially vehicles, electronics, and things like that) work. It's interesting to hear that the experiments don't line up with the reading though. I didn't realize that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Amanda~ Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Which would you chose? Exploring or Intro? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethville Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 We would do the Intro to Science course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 They are very different programs. Sonlight is learning-through-reading and Elemental is learning-by-doing. I bought Elemental Exploring Science last year and we never used it. I would open up the schedule and it just wasn't anything I wanted to do. I have a difficult kid, and he will happily sit and read with me - but he resists activities that aren't his idea. I probably chose the wrong level - the Exploring program is so very, very basic. Sonlight is something we get done. I actually like the worksheets - they aren't lame to us. It's just enough to reinforce the reading. The Discover & Do videos follow the Usborne Science Activity books. I made a master list of the pages in Science Activities and the corresponding videos, so we can do/watch the experiments whenever we want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Sonlight is something we get done. I actually like the worksheets - they aren't lame to us. It's just enough to reinforce the reading. The Discover & Do videos follow the Usborne Science Activity books. I made a master list of the pages in Science Activities and the corresponding videos, so we can do/watch the experiments whenever we want. I agree. Sonlight is very user friendly, and that's something I've always appreciated about Sonlight overall -- it gets done. I should define what I mean by "lame" (because I regretted using the word almost as soon as I used it and almost went back to edit.) Lame to me equals: 1. Drawings are so rough they are sometimes hard to decipher. 2. Questions are often not developmentally appropriate. i.e. I often felt they were asking logic-stage questions of grammar-stage kids. 3. I'm admittedly not a big fan of worksheets and prefer the narration approach of Elemental Science. I do love the Discover & Do videos, even when I'm not using the program. My kids like watching Justin, and they learn a lot from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPMommy Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Elemental Science Exploring and Intro are "basic" programs, but it does a wonderful job at introducing science to young kids in a way that is fun and simple enough for them to truly understand. It also introduces them to a very wide variety of science topics (chem, bio, phys, etc) laying a strong foundation for coming years of more in depth science. But it comes down to what works best for your kids. And yes, some of the stuff I didn't always wanna do, but guess what my kids loved it and thought it was fun, so that's what matters most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethville Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 I ordered the Elemental today and it looks great. My son loves books but compared to experiments? He will choose "doing" every time. I do think I will end up getting some of the K sonlight science books - he will enjoy hearing them. I don't know if he will end up liking to do worksheets or not. As far as his kindergarten year though he has enough seat work with phonics, handwriting and math. I need science, history and art to be hands on and fun. Thanks for all the opinions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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