Supercharged Science Mastery or e-science vs BFSU

[Shred Betty]

Background: we are new to homeschooling, 5 weeks officially on the books, one child. My priorities are the three Rs and joy & excitement first, science and history second.

 

I'm using BFSU vol. 1 with my 8 yr old daughter. So far at 5 weeks no issues with it not getting done. We haven't hit our stride with it yet. I started with it knowing that for the price i'd have no problem choosing another curric. if it didn't work out well. Also seems like a solid choice.

 

-I love: I paid $15. (!). Easy to find household materials. Seems very foundational.

- I don't mind: reading the chapter and the lesson plans ahead. I don't do any lesson plan prep just read ahead then sometimes pull up and save pictures ahead of time / think through demonstrations.

- I could do without: wondering if I'm not "doing it right" or well enough. Luckily so far, it is getting done weekly.

 

DD loves: When we ditch the discussion ASAP for the hands on/ physical games etc. I suspect that she'd love science a lot more with a different curric.

She could do without: sitting and listening to me read/present the chapter myself from my iPad. All of the questions and thinking on her own suggested in the delivery - she seems frustrated by that.

 

 

Supercharged science mastery kits:

I think this is the way I'd have to go, getting the all inclusive materials kit. Also if I wanted e-science subscription instead, that's not just a materials hassle but also I would want to buy a new computer for access, so getting kit with DVD lessons and offline mode seems a better idea.

 

So knowing that, next question is will DH be willing to pay for it or not. :p quite pricey!

 

I'd like to know: feedback from users on any of these programs. Edit: including feedback on best target age.

 

Their kit breakdown with level spanning k-8 ($650) k-10, or k-12 (2k$!) each including between 1-2 yrs or 2-3 yrs worth of lessons just baffles me at the moment. So... Cheapest kit lasts for 2 yrs then you move on, because you have already done all the kits for those units, and hope you don't get repeated material in your next curric choice? I don't see how doing their program for just 1-2 yrs fits in the grand scheme.

 

Thanks! -GG

Edited October 3, 2016 by Shred Betty

[SparklyUnicorn]

I wanted to make BFSU work, but after awhile I got sick of the planning. 

 

My only experience with Supercharged was the on-line stuff.  I think for that age it's overkill in terms of what is covered and price of materials.  The activities are very well done, that I'll give it, but if I could go back I wouldn't buy it. 

 

 

[Syllieann]

I have never used supercharged, but I'll offer some feedback on the bfsu "could do without" lists. The purpose is mastery, not a particular set of activities. If your daughter has met all the lesson objectives, you are doing great! It's ok if it doesn't take the same amount of time that the book recommends. For my oldest, I have found that he grasps the concepts and can answer all the discussion questions very quickly, but if I don't review it a week or two later, the information falls out of his head. Every time we start a new lesson, I go to the discussion questions for all the prerequisite lessons to review. This has made a huge difference in terms of feeling like I'm doing it right. I'm sure the info is really stuck in there now. For presentation, you could use videos and books. The read and find out books correlate really well with volume 1.

[Insertcreativenamehere]

Have you taken a look at Mystery Science? We love it!

[fralala]

I hear you about BFSU. One of the issues, I think, is that some of these discussions might work well in a group setting where there are lots of voices chiming in and contributing, but 1:1 they feel more like a Quiz or some kind of drill than a scientific discussion/brainstorming. I've found the same thing in another curriculum I use that's intended for classrooms-- I just have to skip a lot of their suggestions for interesting discussion and instead play on the strengths of homeschooling by finding ways to chat about the topic over the course of our day and week (and life!) instead.

 

I really don't "do" BFSU perfectly (huge understatement). I often skip the demonstrations because they can be hard with a toddler who doesn't nap. Sometimes I just use the recommended books and others I've found along with a few musings before bed to cover a topic. I really see the goal of BFSU more as a way for me, a non-scientist, to incorporate the kind of discussions, activities, and ideas that will help my children begin to understand the world around them

[SparklyUnicorn]

I hear you about BFSU. One of the issues, I think, is that some of these discussions might work well in a group setting where there are lots of voices chiming in and contributing, but 1:1 they feel more like a Quiz or some kind of drill than a scientific discussion/brainstorming. I've found the same thing in another curriculum I use that's intended for classrooms-- I just have to skip a lot of their suggestions for interesting discussion and instead play on the strengths of homeschooling by finding ways to chat about the topic over the course of our day and week (and life!) instead.

 

I really don't "do" BFSU perfectly (huge understatement). I often skip the demonstrations because they can be hard with a toddler who doesn't nap. Sometimes I just use the recommended books and others I've found along with a few musings before bed to cover a topic. I really see the goal of BFSU more as a way for me, a non-scientist, to incorporate the kind of discussions, activities, and ideas that will help my children begin to understand the world around them

 

Yes that's a good way of putting it.  It felt rather odd as a one on one thing.  I tried to make it feel a bit more natural by getting books on the topics, etc.  The reading lists were useless because I couldn't ever find the books on the list.  Basically the whole thing just became a list of things I could think about covering.  Which is "ok".  If that was the only subject we did I could have put more time and energy into it, but that wasn't the case. 

 

And don't get me started on the flow chart.  I think I have an aversion to flow charts anyway, but damn I almost threw the book out after seeing that flow chart.  LOL 

[Jackie]

And don't get me started on the flow chart. I think I have an aversion to flow charts anyway, but damn I almost threw the book out after seeing that flow chart. LOL

I love flow charts. I wish all my curricula had them. :)

 

I "use" BFSU, but not exactly as written. I'll warn up front that my way sometimes takes more planning, not less. First, I grouped lessons into units. You can see what I did here: http://everchangingchild.blogspot.com/2015/02/building-foundations-of-scientific_9.html. As we got ready to start each unit, I read over all the lessons that related to it to get a better overall sense of how they connected to each other. Sometimes I used the demonstrations in the book, but at least as often I went online and found a premade kit that would get the same main idea across. I then presented each chunk, but often with discussion as we worked through the activities, not as a separate sit down lesson.

 

Most of BFSU 1 is really simple. It took me quite a while to not feel like I must be missing something. I will say that BFSU 2 gets a lot more in depth. I use BFSU 2 differently, more like a reference book. We've basically moved on to interest-led science units, and I've found that most topics requested by my kid are covered in the book, so I start there for information, book recommendations, and ideas, and then build my own unit. There's so much good stuff out there that I feel like I use the flow chart more than the book now. When she requests a topic, I can use the flow chart to see what information is related, what she might need to understand first, and what I could use the topic to lead in to.

[fralala]

I "use" BFSU, but not exactly as written. I'll warn up front that my way sometimes takes more planning, not less. First, I grouped lessons into units. You can see what I did here: http://everchangingchild.blogspot.com/2015/02/building-foundations-of-scientific_9.html. As we got ready to start each unit, I read over all the lessons that related to it to get a better overall sense of how they connected to each other. Sometimes I used the demonstrations in the book, but at least as often I went online and found a premade kit that would get the same main idea across. I then presented each chunk, but often with discussion as we worked through the activities, not as a separate sit down lesson.

 

Your link didn't work for me, but I found the page you're referring to so am re-linking for others because it's very useful! Thanks for sharing.

 

http://everchangingchild.blogspot.com/2015/02/building-foundations-of-scientific_9.html

[HomeschoolingHearts&Minds]

Have you taken a look at Mystery Science? We love it!

I would recommend this as it's perfect for that age, but if computer/internet access is an issue then Mystery Science won't really work for you.

 

You might try getting a few science kits and adding some library books.

[OneStepAtATime]

I think the Super Charged Science mastery program is overkill for a child that young, especially for the price. If you want more hands on plus a complete science materials kit maybe look at the Apologia Young Explorers series. Great for that age and you can buy kits that have everything laid out and labeled by lesson. I would link but my phone won't let me.

Edited October 4, 2016 by OneStepAtATime

[OneStepAtATime]

Oh and with the Young Explorers series you can usually get the books for much cheaper on Amazon. Rainbow resources is a good location, too. There are age appropriate activity/notebook books for this series as well.

[happycc]

I have personally found BFSU is best in a small group setting. 

Doing it one to one would drive me and my kids batty.

Its fun to hear how other kids not from the same family would think about these topics in a group setting. 

[Ausmumof3]

We used one of the supercharged science online units - robotics I think because ds had a special interest. He did enjoy it and got something out of it but we didn't get all the benefits because it was a pain to get all the materials together and expensive so we ended up only doing bits. It's great for the hands on way my kid learns. He did say she talks too fast and he finds her manner a bit over the top but overall it was quite good.

 

I'm using bfsu with my youngest two and it's ok but I want something different next year. The discussion style feels like it is aimed at a classroom environment and it's annoying with one or two kids. I also feel like it is very simple in some ways although I guess that's the point - it's about simple scientific concepts not memorising lists of facts. That said in some ways I feel like it doesn't fit with the Wtm concept of the grammar stage as the poll parrot stage of learning lists of facts. That said my kids don't seem to love list of facts style learning even in the grammar stage.

 

I have to say the science we've loved best has been the sonlight stuff even though I don't necessarily think it's the best approach for developing scientific thinking. It was just fun and interesting mostly.

[Ausmumof3]

As an alternative see if you can find Ruth in nzs thread on building interest led science curriculum. It is well worth reading.

[knitgrl]

 

I'm using BFSU vol. 1 with my 8 yr old daughter. So far at 5 weeks no issues with it not getting done. We haven't hit our stride with it yet. I started with it knowing that for the price i'd have no problem choosing another curric. if it didn't work out well. Also seems like a solid choice.

 

-I love: I paid $15. (!). Easy to find household materials. Seems very foundational.

- I don't mind: reading the chapter and the lesson plans ahead. I don't do any lesson plan prep just read ahead then sometimes pull up and save pictures ahead of time / think through demonstrations.

- I could do without: wondering if I'm not "doing it right" or well enough. Luckily so far, it is getting done weekly.

 

DD loves: When we ditch the discussion ASAP for the hands on/ physical games etc. I suspect that she'd love science a lot more with a different curric.

She could do without: sitting and listening to me read/present the chapter myself from my iPad. All of the questions and thinking on her own suggested in the delivery - she seems frustrated by that.

 

 

 

My DD, like yours, is definitely not into the discussion part. She is almost 7 and this is our second year going through Vol. 1. However, I think this curriculum is excellent in the way it presents topics and how they build on one another. I would use it even if she totally hated it. That being said, there have been some great ideas already posted on how to tweak it. There was a another thread awhile ago where someone mentioned writing an outline of the lesson first and presenting from that instead of doing it directly from the book. I have tried this with better results. I am also in the middle of trying to present lessons through the books listed in the back of each chapter. Apparently, we have a great library system because I can usually get at least 75% of the books. There are usually a lot of overlapping topics, so one certainly does not need to use ALL of the books suggested.

[RunsForSanity]

...

 

I "use" BFSU, but not exactly as written. I'll warn up front that my way sometimes takes more planning, not less. First, I grouped lessons into units. You can see what I did here: http://everchangingchild.blogspot.com/2015/02/building-foundations-of-scientific_9.html. As we got ready to start each unit, I read over all the lessons that related to it to get a better overall sense of how they connected to each other. Sometimes I used the demonstrations in the book, but at least as often I went online and found a premade kit that would get the same main idea across. I then presented each chunk, but often with discussion as we worked through the activities, not as a separate sit down lesson.

...

 

I found this to be very useful. Thank you for putting it together!!

 

ETA: Wow! Your blog is a wealth of information! We use a lot of the same curriculum and seem to have similar outlooks.  /fangirl

Edited November 4, 2016 by RunsForSanity

[Shred Betty]

Wow thank you! What a dearth of encouragement.

 

I have not tried the outline as source for presentation yet.. Just skim-read aloud the chapter. I'm gonna stop being lazy and try outlining :) presenting from books listed is also an excellent idea.

 

Thank you all :)

 

Sorry for the late response in thread, I've recently picked up my first hard copy book in awhile and I couldn't get my nose out of it! Also we've all been suffering with some kind of nasty super cold :(

[Ausmumof3]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/512190-science-posts-organized-by-topic/?fromsearch=1

 

I found a link to a thread by Ruth (levelma) with links to her different science threads. There is so so much information in there that is awesome on teaching science so take some time to explore (and be inspired).

[Shred Betty]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/512190-science-posts-organized-by-topic/?fromsearch=1

 

I found a link to a thread by Ruth (levelma) with links to her different science threads. There is so so much information in there that is awesome on teaching science so take some time to explore (and be inspired).

Thank you! :)

[Tanikit]

My eldest child did well with BFSU and we made it work for a single child alone. I think it is a curriculum that has to be adapted - that you cannot really do it "wrong" as long as the child gets the concepts and knows how to think for him/herself. I know she has a very good scientific basis now - since going to school I have not done much science with her and would love to continue with BFSU2 some more but it has become too much now for afterschooling. 

 

It sounds like you are coping with BFSU and so I would recommend continuing with it - don't let doubts get in your way - you will probably have doubts about what is happening with any science curriculum - its so broad.