MotherGoose Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Hi, My 2nd grader will be doing science at coop next year, BJU. My 5 th grader (these are next year's grades) can take a science elective at coop. I believe they are using apologia. I'm not thrilled with either choice, but outsourcing them does have advantages. 2nd grader will def be doing hers; 5th is optional, I feel that I haven't done enough for 2 nd grader. 5th grader knows all sorts of things about life science because of reading independently and paying attention, as well as my interests. I've thought about just expounding on topics from BJU text for 5th grader, and I have a lovely library of living books at home that I could use. But I feel that what she really needs is chemistry and physics, as those are not topics she finds interesting. I also feel that 5th grade is serious!! now, which is adding to my anxiety. And I have an infant, who will be getting mobile just about the time school resumes. I miss the days when I was enthusiastic new homeschooling mom and did all these great projects. Now I want to get it done, but I also wish there were more hours in the day so we could do it all. Are there independent (somewhat) labs you know of 5 th grader could do? Science texts? we are Christian, but secular is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roseto27 Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 I think you should look into the Answers in Genesis books on chemistry and physics for the 5th grader. They're really quite well done and will give you the balance I think you're looking for with a mobile little one under foot. It wouldn't be the end of the world if you went with the apologia at the co-op, and there are certainly some benefits of letting someone else take the lead there. However, I doubt that it will cover either physics or chemistry, as it's likely another life-science course. It might not be the best use of the time you have available in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 (edited) Bite-size Physics by Science Jim. Lots and lots of hands on projects that really teach the concepts, and a 5th grader can run the vast majority by themselves. Edited May 23, 2023 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 When you say "secular is fine", what do you mean? Because if you really want to teach mainstream science, Answers in Genesis, as suggested upthread, is not going to be the way to go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 When you say "secular is fine", what do you mean? Because if you really want to teach mainstream science, Answers in Genesis, as suggested upthread, is not going to be the way to go. Thanks for everyone's suggestions so far. And when I say "secular is fine," I meant that I'm okay with either secular or Christian materials. However, (not wanting to start a debate) I don't want her to spend much time on discussions about the age of the earth or disproving evolution. They used AIG at coop this year, and she read the parts pertaining to that, and we discussed what I believe and what mainstream science teaches, and that was the end of it--not time consuming, and I spoke to the teacher about it too and she said she didn't spend class time on it either. As I understand it, as the children get older, AIG spends more and more time on disproving evolution, and I don't want that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Seconding The Elements by McHenry. It's a nice introduction. You could pair it with a simple experiment book. We adored Fizz, Bubble and Flash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I would say first and foremost that fifth grade science isn't so "serious." I wouldn't personally feel okay about BJU or Apologia, but I'll respect that you don't want a debate about it all and just say that if my kids were covering science in a co-op with hands on activities and a text/program I thought was okay, even if it wasn't my top choice, I'd definitely feel fine about letting the only other thing we did at home be some extra reading and/or anything child led that happened to come up. And that goes double for if I had an infant turning toddler. So I'd just supplement at home with some good books. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted March 28, 2016 Author Share Posted March 28, 2016 I would say first and foremost that fifth grade science isn't so "serious." I wouldn't personally feel okay about BJU or Apologia, but I'll respect that you don't want a debate about it all and just say that if my kids were covering science in a co-op with hands on activities and a text/program I thought was okay, even if it wasn't my top choice, I'd definitely feel fine about letting the only other thing we did at home be some extra reading and/or anything child led that happened to come up. And that goes double for if I had an infant turning toddler. So I'd just supplement at home with some good books.Comforting words Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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