Sandi Queen nature study

[snickerplum]

Has anyone used any of the books from Discovering Nature Series? I like the sample pages, but I'm trying to decide which book to use with my 2nd grader.

[tjlcc]

Bumping for you.  These look great, but I can't find many reviews.

[Samiam]

Have you asked on the Queen's Facebook page, regarding grade level?  Sandi Queen is on there answering questions daily.

[freeindeed]

I really like the looks of these books, too. They look like such a fun way to learn. I would love to read some reviews as well.

[GPMommy]

Bumping for more info on these: https://www.queenshomeschooling.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=71_72_74

 

Would this be a solid, complete, stand alone science curriculum? Are there experiment type actives at all?

[Samiam]

I wonder...hmm.   I guess it depends on where you are coming from, in terms of your science preferences.  I've not used these, but I have/am using some of Queen's curriculum, and on the FB page.  I like the idea of the Nature Science Books...but then again, I look at samples, and not sure I'm impressed..and the fact that some were written by her daughter as a teenager...yes, I know it's possible the daughter was completely capable and adept...on the other hand, it's also possible the daughter isn't quite ready to be an author of a curriculum that I  would use to teach my children.    I like some of the products and some of it strikes me as expensive for what you get.   I'm using the Language Lessons...the content is what I want for grammar....the layout...I find poor quality, meaning they scrunch to much together on one page, the font is wonky.    We use it because it does the gentle job I want for grammar.    I've owned the Math Facts Copywork....I was shocked at the cost compared to what you get....I guess I was expecting something different. It's literally a few pages of many math facts.   Why someone would pay for a page of basic math facts is beyond me (and yes, I kicked myself when I did!).   I have the History Vol 1.   It's okay.  I like the content...though I wish the author would not have put so many of her personal thoughts and reflections and just kept to the story...but again, layout is just so cheap for the price.    The schedule that is promoted as included in the book...so basic any dunder-head could do that without putting it in the book.  Day 1, Read chapter.  Day 2 answer narration questions.  etc.

 

The FB group kinda drives me crazy. It's just for people to post how much they love Queen's.  Anyone who questions or has any sort of non-love gets shut down pretty quickly.   Alot of promotion of their oils/soaps, etc...not impressed with those as I am one to read up on ingredients, and do not think their oils are as high quality as other brands.    The final kicker that left distaste for me was when someone posted that they had found an error in a Queen's book, this page, this paragraph, etc.  Sandi responded asking the person to take a picture and send it to her, as the book was in the warehouse and Sandi didn't have access to the book.   Really??? A customer has to send you a picture of YOUR book to prove the mistake?  You don't have access to it in a file on a computer?  You couldn't have staff check into the next day?    And another time, Sandi posted a long message about buying directly from her website, instead of other vendors, book stores, as she would retain more profit if  people did that.   As we have two homeschool book stores here in town, and both are small businesses run by homeschool families, that cater to a pretty niche crowd...I found that offensive that you would tell me not to shop locally, not to support homeschool book stores, who, btw, carry YOUR product, so that you could make more money.  Ick.

 

So anyhoo, not alot of help on the Nature Series, lol...just my random thoughts on Queen's overall.  I'll never buy something again from them without seeing it in person, that I know. 

[abidnginhim]

I used one of the books with my dd a few years ago and I'd be happy to tell you more about it later today. I'm on my way out the door. :)

[wunderlong88]

I'm interested in knowing more about these, too.

[GPMommy]

I wonder...hmm. I guess it depends on where you are coming from, in terms of your science preferences. I've not used these, but I have/am using some of Queen's curriculum, and on the FB page. I like the idea of the Nature Science Books...but then again, I look at samples, and not sure I'm impressed..and the fact that some were written by her daughter as a teenager...yes, I know it's possible the daughter was completely capable and adept...on the other hand, it's also possible the daughter isn't quite ready to be an author of a curriculum that I would use to teach my children. I like some of the products and some of it strikes me as expensive for what you get. I'm using the Language Lessons...the content is what I want for grammar....the layout...I find poor quality, meaning they scrunch to much together on one page, the font is wonky. We use it because it does the gentle job I want for grammar. I've owned the Math Facts Copywork....I was shocked at the cost compared to what you get....I guess I was expecting something different. It's literally a few pages of many math facts. Why someone would pay for a page of basic math facts is beyond me (and yes, I kicked myself when I did!). I have the History Vol 1. It's okay. I like the content...though I wish the author would not have put so many of her personal thoughts and reflections and just kept to the story...but again, layout is just so cheap for the price. The schedule that is promoted as included in the book...so basic any dunder-head could do that without putting it in the book. Day 1, Read chapter. Day 2 answer narration questions. etc.

 

The FB group kinda drives me crazy. It's just for people to post how much they love Queen's. Anyone who questions or has any sort of non-love gets shut down pretty quickly. Alot of promotion of their oils/soaps, etc...not impressed with those as I am one to read up on ingredients, and do not think their oils are as high quality as other brands. The final kicker that left distaste for me was when someone posted that they had found an error in a Queen's book, this page, this paragraph, etc. Sandi responded asking the person to take a picture and send it to her, as the book was in the warehouse and Sandi didn't have access to the book. Really??? A customer has to send you a picture of YOUR book to prove the mistake? You don't have access to it in a file on a computer? You couldn't have staff check into the next day? And another time, Sandi posted a long message about buying directly from her website, instead of other vendors, book stores, as she would retain more profit if people did that. As we have two homeschool book stores here in town, and both are small businesses run by homeschool families, that cater to a pretty niche crowd...I found that offensive that you would tell me not to shop locally, not to support homeschool book stores, who, btw, carry YOUR product, so that you could make more money. Ick.

 

So anyhoo, not alot of help on the Nature Series, lol...just my random thoughts on Queen's overall. I'll never buy something again from them without seeing it in person, that I know.

 

Thanks for the response. I wasn't aware of some of the stuff you mentioned!

[GPMommy]

I used one of the books with my dd a few years ago and I'd be happy to tell you more about it later today. I'm on my way out the door. :)

Thanks! I look forward to reading what you thought about them.

[...................]

I think Queen's is like ice cream...a little bit will be great but you don't want it all the time.

 

Her materials are easy to use, cheerful, quaint, gentle and usually they include some nice touches in the pictures and artwork which are inspiring and helpful.  

 

But there are just so many little things which are "off" that if you were using more than one well chosen resource, you might get frustrated really quickly. 

 

Fonts can be wonky, spacing is wonky, sometimes there is plenty of room to write a passage, and then suddenly there is not nearly enough room (so your child has to get a separate piece of paper and staple it in after completing it.) some pictures are very poor quality, and some copywork assignments are totally unmatched or uninspiring for the targeted age range.

 

BUT I was very pleased the year I used one QUeen book and I thought it fit as a great match/supplement to other things I was doing.  My son greatly enjoyed it and I felt that because it really fit a unique niche in our homeschool, that it was worth the money.

[BatmansWife]

I've been intrigued by the nature books.....but....

 

..and the fact that some were written by her daughter as a teenager...yes, I know it's possible the daughter was completely capable and adept...on the other hand, it's also possible the daughter isn't quite ready to be an author of a curriculum that I  would use to teach my children.   Really?  I had no idea this was the case.  I'm glad to know this....it definitely makes me want to steer clear now. 

 

The FB group kinda drives me crazy. It's just for people to post how much they love Queen's.  Anyone who questions or has any sort of non-love gets shut down pretty quickly.   This doesn't surprise me.  I once posted an honest review of one of their items on Amazon.  Sandi was pretty quick to make a reply and make it sound like I had no idea what I was even talking about. 

 

I'll never buy something again from them without seeing it in person, that I know.  I feel the same.  The nature books look like something I might like, but there just isn't enough sample pages for me to really know.  I've been burned twice by Queen's books (terribly overpriced with extremely little content) and I feel like I'd be a fool to try them for a 3rd time. 

 

[abidnginhim]

It was a long day yesterday and I just got back to this. I will say I agree with Calming Tea's comparison to ice cream. She explains it perfectly but I'll add about our experience anyway. 

 

As I mentioned, my dd used A Nature Walk with Aunt Bessie a few years ago when she was 10/11. I have not seen or used any other books in the nature series.  I do agree with the previous posters comments concerning the quality of some of Queen’s materials.  It does seem like some of their products are expensive compared to what you actually get. While the pictures in the Language Lessons book are lovely and in full color the pictures in the nature book look like poorly done photo copies. They are black and white, dark; some are even blurry with poor detail.  For this reason I didn’t have my dd use the book itself as her nature journal per the author’s suggestion.  Instead, I purchased nice quality sketch books and by the end of the year my dd had 2 of them filled with beautiful drawings of her own .  I also found the book did not  have adequate space for some of the writing assignments so my dd wrote those on separate sheets of paper or typed them.

 

There are activities and experiments for some lessons. Most of them involved observing bugs or crawly creatures in nature. We had a decent sized backyard, access to a lake, woods, and garden so my dd was able to find almost everything she was looking for. She collected some specimens in jars. We school year round with breaks scattered throughout the year so she completed some assignments during the summer months when bugs were plentiful. There were also a few craft type activities. Not all the activities were of interest to her so I didn’t require she do them every one of them. 

 

As far as being a solid, complete, stand alone curriculum, well, it depends on what you want. I wanted to do a year of nature study combined with some living science books so this curriculum worked well for that. It was a full year of nature related assignments. I needed a little guidance on how to actually ‘do’ nature study and this curriculum served that purpose. My dd was able to do much of A Nature Walk independently. She developed good observation and research skills and enjoyed her time outdoors. That same year I also did SCM’s Outdoor Secrets with my little ones so  everyone had a fun, nature filled year.

I am going to do something like this again with my 9 year old but I plan to use this instead. The layout, quality,  and organization is much better and it was half the price.

 

http://simplycharlottemason.com/store/jacks-insects-narration-nature-study-notebook/

[GPMommy]

Thanks for the review on the program you used. I think I will just stick with Elemental Science! I like the like you posted above that looks like something fun to add in at some point, better than the Queens material.