mhaddon Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Has anyone used it? What is it like? Do you think it would be easy to use with Apologia's Astronomy? I planned on doing it with the youngers and adding in the MP for my older son that really wants to be able to identify constellations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I have wondered about this program too. My kids are interested in constellations and I don't know much about astronomy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.Ivy Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I have it. I'm using it this year with my 8 and 9 year olds as a worksheet-type supplement to Signs and Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy. MP astronomy is dry and kind of bare-bones. Signs and Seasons is more of a "living book" -- the passion of the author really comes through his writing. It is very thorough, yet doesn't bog down with endless lists of facts. The author is an astronomer and a classically homeschooling dad. The book has very good illustrations. He includes quotes from classical scientists, historians, chirch fathers, scripture, etc. He even teaches etemology. We use it as a read-aloud for the whole family and we all learn from it. But I wanted some worksheets for review and the MP book seems to fit the bill. They're good for memorizing the constellations. I hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhaddon Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Wo is Classical Astronomy by? Seems interesting, do they have more books? Yes this does help, I figured it was too dry to use alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I'm doing MP's Greek Myths next year and I really wanted to add in some astronomy, but from the samples MP astronomy looks like it could really be deadly boring. I might try out the Signs and Seasons book instead to use alongside Greek Myths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Wo is Classical Astronomy by? Seems interesting, do they have more books? Yes this does help, I figured it was too dry to use alone. I think the one she is referring to is by Jay Ryan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Be sure and use this book, Lori. It's stunning!Once Upon a Starry Night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I have it. I'm using it this year with my 8 and 9 year olds as a worksheet-type supplement to Signs and Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy. MP astronomy is dry and kind of bare-bones. Signs and Seasons is more of a "living book" -- the passion of the author really comes through his writing. It is very thorough, yet doesn't bog down with endless lists of facts. The author is an astronomer and a classically homeschooling dad. The book has very good illustrations. He includes quotes from classical scientists, historians, chirch fathers, scripture, etc. He even teaches etemology. We use it as a read-aloud for the whole family and we all learn from it. But I wanted some worksheets for review and the MP book seems to fit the bill. They're good for memorizing the constellations. I hope that helps! Signs and Seasons says it's best for ages 13 and up. Do you find it to be too much for your 8 and 9 year old? Do you do the field guide? Sorry for the questions, but I've looked at this off and on so many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Be sure and use this book, Lori. It's stunning! Once Upon a Starry Night Thank you so much!! I'm putting that in my amazon cart now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I read a lot of reviews of the Signs and Seasons and some people said it was way too easy for a high school book and would be better for elementary and middle school. I'm curious to hear from someone who has used it. I'm also wondering if it is a curriculum or if it is more of let's sit down and read this book together kind of a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 For identifying the constellations, HA Rey's book Find the Constellations is marvelous -- he worked to come up with sketches of the constellations that make the stars integral parts of the figure, so that they really look like their namesakes (for older children/adults, there is Rey's The Stars). Pairing this book with Thompson's Glow-in-the-Dark Constellations is a great start to ID-ing the constellations, and would round out the MP book I think -- I've been looking at the MP for its memorization aspects myself. ETA-- just re-read the OP more closely -- I actually bought Find The Constellations & Glow-in-the-Dark Constellations to round Apologia Astronomy and liked them very well for this purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.Ivy Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I do Signs and Seasons with all my kids, (K-3) but I'm not expecting them to remember everything or even understand it all. It's something we wanted to do as a family this year, but because I don't know ANYTHING about astronomy, I can't just take the kids outside and say, hey look.... this is what you're looking at. So I guess we're doing Signs and Seasons more for ME than for the kids right now, haha. I'd love to know what the heck I'm seeing in the sky when we go camping and be able to really enjoy it with the kids.But my 8 and 9 year olds are following along just fine. Jay Ryan has GREAT illustrations to show the concepts. I think the biggest reason they're able to keep up with it is because we recently finished BFSU k-2. And the MP astronomy worksheets help cement in the facts I'd like them to remember. We're going to go through astronomy again in a couple years so I'm not all that worried about whether they get it all right now. We'll do the field activities when they're older. The kids enjoy classical astronomy because it relates more to their everyday lives, with time keeping and navigation, and what they can see without a telescope.I would put the book at a 4th to 8th grade range. But little ones can definitely learn from it.It's got field activities listed in the back for each chapter, but it's a book we just look at together while I read it aloud. Kind of like the elementary Apologia books. Except not as annoying hehe (not to bash Apologia, but their style just doesn't work for me -- although my daughter LOVES reading their books on her own). I would think MP astronomy would work just fine with Apologia Astronomy, or the other resources that were mentioned, like Find the Constellations. But doing MP astronomy alone..... nah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhaddon Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Thanks guys, this has turned into a great thread :) I hadn't heard of any of these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Thank you so much!! I'm putting that in my amazon cart now! I haven't read this one, but it's about how mythology ties into the planets. It's by the same people who did the other book I recommended. Kingdom of the Sun And here's another book they did about animals in the constellations: Zoo in the Sky FWIW, I'm adding both of these to my Amazon cart right now. I already had the other one and the kids read it over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Following Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Mom Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 We are about 2/3 through the mp astronomy book. My dd8 really likes it and has retained quite a bit. It isn't flowery but I like its layout. It's clear, easy to teach, and best of all... It gets done! We love looking at the stars together now. It has enhanced our experience of nighttime so much. I highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I got the Signs and Seasons Classical Astronomy book in the mail yesterday and I am very excited about using it next year. I really don't think my boys will have trouble following it, if I am reading it aloud and we are talking about it along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highfamily Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I'm looking at the MP astronomy and can't tell from the online samples if there's actual instruction in the TM that isn't in the workbook (samples show the same level of info in both books, other than answer key). Do I need both? Is the TM even that helpful for this course? Thanks! Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 We did this fun edible activity paired with the Once Upon A Starry Night and Zoo in the Sky books. Definitely a memorable that my girls LOVE to repeat. :) I highly suggest it. Also, I have a few fun astronomy activities and blog posts (FWIW I'm secular and old-earth- however, lots of my stuff can be done just by changing dates around) Also, I review one of Jay Ryan's picture books on the phases of the moon and he was such a great guy and wonderful to work with. He sent me his Signs and Seasons to look over and I believe even secular folks can utilize it with some tweaking. Which reminds me-- my daughter is probably coming to an age where we can utilize it....maybe I'll pull it out for possible use in next year's line-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.Ivy Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I'm looking at the MP astronomy and can't tell from the online samples if there's actual instruction in the TM that isn't in the workbook (samples show the same level of info in both books, other than answer key). Do I need both? Is the TM even that helpful for this course? Thanks! Jana I don't have the teacher's manual. The student book includes the lesson material needed to fill out the exercises. It also has page numbers for D'Aulaires' Greek Myths for optional correlated readings. The back of the student book includes a glossary, zodiac chart, and pronunciation guide. It doesn't seem like a TM would be necessary, but since I don't have it I can't tell for sure. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 When we were doing the MP Astronomy book, I had a cool app on my iPad that I used with it. One could aim their iPad in any direction and constellations would show on the iPad. There was a search feature too. I found it extremely helpful in locating constellations. I've since deleted it, but I will try to find the name later. There are a few apps that do the same thing. I also had one on my Android phone, but it wasn't as accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Mom Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 The mp forum is Great resource. The teacher manual has the tests in it, as well as the answers, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayfromcleveland Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Hi Ladies, sorry for chipping in late, thanks for all the kind words about Signs & Seasons. (Yeah, I do still drop in at WTM once in a while, used to be a regular about 12 years ago). S&S is completely illustrated since astronomy is a visual subject, therefore requiring a visual medium to communicate the information. I've been told this approach is not "classical" enough for some people, but they can find something that uses a 1000 extra words to explain what can be shown in a single image. As for the age range, I think the web site says recommended for 13+ but usable with younger kids with parental guidance. The age rating was chosen because I think the language might be too sophisticated for younger readers, and I did not want to compete with Jeannie Fulbright's book from Apologia (which outsells S&S by like a hundred to one). But a child is never too young to begin making friends with the stars, and I myself learned Orion and the Big Dipper at age 7 (though I did not learn any more until my 20s). If anyone has any questions, feel free to drop me a line through my site, www.ClassicalAstronomy.com. We have a page by that name on Facebook. Thanks! -jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayfromcleveland Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I read a lot of reviews of the Signs and Seasons and some people said it was way too easy for a high school book and would be better for elementary and middle school. I'm curious to hear from someone who has used it. I'm also wondering if it is a curriculum or if it is more of let's sit down and read this book together kind of a book. If I might comment on this point directly, I've had a spectrum of feedback about S&S. There have been irate moms who have written to say there is not enough content there, that it is very simple and should be for very small children, not highschoolers. Then there are the "stressed out moms" who tell me it's too hard, that they and their highschoolers can't handle such a difficult course. Other moms have reported that S&S has been a wonderful experience for their kids, and a couple have said it "transformed their homeschool." I figure these are the ones who have used the course as intended, as a guide to diligent observation of the sky. S&S was prepared to cover a scope of material that is consistent with traditional observational astronomy, as understood in ancient, medieval, and early modern times. A typical astronomy course usually features "big ball astronomy" -- the usual "Grand Tour of the Solar System," emphasizing factoids from modern astronomy about the planets and miscellaneous objects in space, derived from scientific data, and handed down on authority, with no observational method. The point of S&S is to teach readers to become observers of the sky, hence the illustrations (2-4 per page) that represent the outdoor scenes, correlated with a celestial perspective. Because it is illustrated, some moms think it is a comic book for babies. The moms who have stressed out apparently do so because the scope is so different than their expectations compared with typical "big ball" books. Most of those who have struggled have reported to have just read the book without attempting to perform outdoor observations. Clearly, S&S is not for everyone, and I counsel anyone to not attempt it unless they are serious about consistent outdoor field observation, and learning a lost and forgotten method of studying the sky, which is a truly "classical" approach to science, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Hi Ladies, sorry for chipping in late, thanks for all the kind words about Signs & Seasons. (Yeah, I do still drop in at WTM once in a while, used to be a regular about 12 years ago). *** If anyone has any questions, feel free to drop me a line through my site, www.ClassicalAstronomy.com. We have a page by that name on Facebook. Thanks! -jay I haven't used Signs and Seasons yet, but I really enjoy Jay's e-mail newletter that he sends out. I appreciate the reminders about current sightings and other relevant topics. Anyone doing astronomy might want to sign up for it. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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