Thoughts on WTM science layout or Dr. Wile Science in the Beginning

[Trilliumlady]

We are finishing a year of (almost always) twice a week earth science and astronomy. We used Usborne encyclopedias for each semester a'la WTM recommendations. I am not a friend of experiements and did only a couple! Shame on me, I know. But, this was the first year where I can say we at last completed SOMETHING for science. We did notebooks, usually a page a week and actual science once or twice a week.

For next year we are heading for WTM Chemistry year using Atoms and Molecules or something like that and a lot of..... experiements.

I also have in my possession Dr. Wile's Science in the Beginning. I bought it to use two years ago and did not complete a single lesson! (Had a first grader and pre k at that time so didn't feel too guilty about it).

I have been giving it the eye again and reading reviews on it and wonder if I should pull it out.

My questions are, if you have used either method, or even both, which did you prefer? With either, what supplements did you find helpful? If you are non sciencey, which will most help me get through the year. I would especially be interested in opinions on the WTM (I.e. Focus on one topic all year) vs textbook broad range mentality of learning and what your kids did well with. I will have a fourth and second grader and a Ker along for the ride.

FWIW, I have looked at mystery science and while I am extremely thrilled by the idea and ease, I really want my kids to be doing the majority of their learning from books, not a screen.

[2_girls_mommy]

I have done both, and liked both. Well, we didn't do the Science in the Beginning. We are using the last one in the new series, Science in the Age of Reason this year. 

 

For early years, I preferred the WTM method. I just did. We did just like you. Not a super lot of experiments. But one or two a month at least with the Usborne encyclopedias. We did whatever links the Usborne online led us to. And I checked out a stack of books on the topics from the library. So when we were in human body I got tons of books like the Magic Schoolbus (always a good science supplement) videos and books. We did any activities that came up in any of the books. It seems like there was an activity to try in almost any elementary science book like how to take your own pulse, things like that. I even remember picking up a video of the song, "Dem Bones" and doing that for our music that week. :) 

 

I do like the new Wile book as opposed to the Exploring Creation Series. We started using it with co-op around 3rd grade for my youngest. Talk about really going deep into one subject a year. At least with WTM, you do life science, animals, human body, and plants for one year. With the EC series you only get human body for the w-h-o-l-e year. I got so tired of that series.   But the new books have like 3 experiments a week. They are usually pretty simple. My 7th grader using the book this year for a lite year of science can do most of them on her own without me. She just tells me what she needs from the store if they don't do it at co-op. (They generally did one a week at co-op, and she did 1-2 a week at home.) 

 

She notebooked about one of the experiments a week, and wrote answers to the journal questions in the book. It was a good year. But if you aren't an experiment person, be warned. It isn't one a week. It's three, at least in the Age of Reason book. And we still only got through like lesson 50 something out of 80 something in the book, lol.  I did my 7th grader getting a bit of all kinds of science this year as opposed to just one topic for a change of pace after doing WTM and EC for so long. 

 

I did the Adventures with Atoms and Molecules book for 3rd grade chemistry with a 1st grader and a 3rd grader before we started the co-op/textbook science. I much preferred the WTM way of doing science (but my kids like doing it with a class, so we go with co-op, and it saves me putting together a lot of experiments.) I will say, that we did the Adventures book over a school year and a half instead of in one year, then just did a semester of WTM physics our first round through. It took us a while to get through that book. 

 

So this is pretty random. Don't know if it gives you any real help. But off the top of my head those are my expriences. 

 

 

[Trilliumlady]

Thanks for the input!

[Guest]

NM, wrong science book!

Edited May 2, 2017 by WendyAndMilo

[ExcitedMama]

Give Science in the Beginning a try. You might be surprised at how easy it is to use. I love how easy it is to use and how the reading flows so well and actually integrates the experiments. I'm not sciencey at all and I'm loving it. We usually do at least two lessons at a time since they are so short. The experiments are super easy and short and even my 4 year old likes to do them too. I just keep a list on my phone of things I may need to pick up, like for the first one I needed a candle and I still need to look for an old fashion flashlight. I've tried ES, RSO and Mystery Science and SIB is by far everyone's favorite.

[Trilliumlady]

Give Science in the Beginning a try. You might be surprised at how easy it is to use. I love how easy it is to use and how the reading flows so well and actually integrates the experiments. I'm not sciencey at all and I'm loving it. We usually do at least two lessons at a time since they are so short. The experiments are super easy and short and even my 4 year old likes to do them too. I just keep a list on my phone of things I may need to pick up, like for the first one I needed a candle and I still need to look for an old fashion flashlight. I've tried ES, RSO and Mystery Science and SIB is by far everyone's favorite.

ExcitedMama, have you by any chance used the Well Trained Mind recommendations on how to teach science for the younger grades? If you have that knowledge to compare to your above recommendation of SIB that would be helpful!

[ExcitedMama]

ExcitedMama, have you by any chance used the Well Trained Mind recommendations on how to teach science for the younger grades? If you have that knowledge to compare to your above recommendation of SIB that would be helpful!

Sorry not being at all science inclined I haven't felt comfortable doing it on my own without a curriculum. I have been loosely following the recommendations on what to study at what age but always with a spine. SIB covers more topics than the breakdown of different topics by age which I actually think we are going to prefer, especially given how much better the concepts have been presented than the other ones we've tried. Here's what Jay Wile said about the different topics:

 

jlwile says:

August 20, 2013 at 7:34 pm

I think you could make that work, Literary Mom. Day 3 has some stuff about rocks and soil, and Day 4 is all space. Day 2 deals with water, which would fit in well when you are studying the oceans. Then, when you study biology, you can do the rest of Day 3 (plants) and Days 4 and 5. Then when you study light, you can do Day 1.

http://blog.drwile.com/my-new-elementary-science-series/

 

I can only say that the ones we've tried before never really flowed. The reading wasn't great and neither were the experiments. With the other ones I've gotten a lot of books to supplement from the library. SIB actually integrates the experiment to show something in the reading which I've been really impressed by. It has so far explained the concept better than science books I've gotten before so I haven't supplemented it at all. It also has advice for students based on their age for notebooking.

Edited May 2, 2017 by ExcitedMama

[WoolC]

We have done the WTM science encyclopedia page with a stack of library books over the past year and we're switching over to Wile's Science in the Ancient World this coming year. We haven't used the curriculum yet but I have looked over it a lot. It is appealing to me because the readings are short, the demonstrations look very doable and I wanted something that just got done this year. I'm terrible at getting all of my library book requests in when I actually need them with home grown science plans so we always ended up doing tons of books and experiments for a few weeks followed by weeks without science. I'm ready to try something consistent from week to week this year since my oldest really loves science.

[Trilliumlady]

Yes, science consistency here is sometimes an unattainable goal!