KIN Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 (edited) I'm wanting to study physics for science next year. I like the looks of noeo science, but I'm not sure with my kids' ages. I'll have a 4th grader, 2nd grader and a K'r. What are your recommendations? ETA: My 4th grader is advanced, if that makes a difference! Edited November 21, 2008 by KIN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moki4 Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 We are finishing up RS4K pre-level 1 (K and 2nd) and level 1 (4th and 6th grade) chemistry. The two mesh very well. They all do science together. We will do level 1 physics next (RS4K has a level 1 10 wk of each chemistry, physics, and biology) with all kiddos and try to simplify the lessons for the younger two. I really wish RS4K pre-level 1 had more than chemistry! I love this program! The authors are superb! I have a science background and this program speaks to the children in a very clear, yet scientific manner. I really appreciate it. No dumbin' down:) HTH, Moki4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in MA Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 We also used RS4K with two different levels and it worked out very well. Wish I could find a history program that worked the same way for high school/middle school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I am doing Physics with the ages that you listed. We started out with CKEP and it was a bomb. I do not do well with formal curriculum so we are just using a mish mosh of Usborne books, living books and experiment kits (we have been loving Projects for Kids kits.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 (edited) Here's a mega-list of grade 2-5 physics books, videos, kits for physics topics. Hope it helps! Warmest regards, Lori D. MOTION Forces, momentum, friction, gravity, work, etc. Books: - Magic School Bus: Gains Weight (gravity) - Magic School Bus: Goes On Air (air pressure) - Magic School Bus: Plays Ball (forces, friction) - Magic School Bus: Liz on the Move (forces) - Let's Read and Find Out About Science: Forces Make Things Move (forces) Videos: - Magic School Bus: Gains Weight (gravity) - Magic School Bus: Goes On Air (air pressure) - Magic School Bus: Plays Ball (forces, friction) - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Gravity - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Balance - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Momentum - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Pressure - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Friction - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Motion - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Friction - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Pressure Kits: - Science Wiz: Motion (kit) -- gr. 2-8 HEAT/ENERGY Heat, temperature/thermometer, convection/conduction/radiation, energy, etc. Books: - Magic School Bus: In the Arctic (heat) - Let's Read and Find Out About Science: Energy Makes Things Happen (energy) Videos: - Magic School Bus: In the Arctic (heat) -- grade 1-5 - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Heat - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Energy - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Heat Kits: - Science in a Nutshell: Energy & Motion (gr. 3-6) LIGHT/OPTICS/SOUND Electromagnetic spectrum, visible light, reflection/refraction, lens, optical illusions... Books: - Magic School Bus: Makes a Rainbow (color) - Magic School Bus: Liz Makes a Rainbow (color) - Magic School Bus: Gets a Bright Idea (light) - Magic School Bus: In The Haunted House (sound) - Usborne Science With Light and Mirrors Videos: - Magic School Bus: Makes a Rainbow (color) -- grade 1-5 - Magic School Bus: Gets a Bright Idea (light) -- grade 1-5 - Magic School Bus: In The Haunted House (sound) -- grade 1-5 - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Sound - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Light and Color - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Light Optics, Bending, and Bouncing - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Light - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Photography (light, lenses) - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Sound Kits: - Light and Color (book and kit) -- by Millson -- gr. 2-4 - Science with Light and Mirrors (book and kit) -- by Usborne -- gr. 1-5 - Science in a Nutshell: Sound Vibrations (gr. 2-6) ELECTRICITY/MAGNETISM Charges, conductors, current, magnetic fields, poles, etc. Books: - Magic School Bus: Gets Charged (electricity) - Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip (electricity) - Let's Read and Find Out About Science: Switch On, Switch Off (electricity) - Let's Read and Find Out About Science: What Makes a Magnet (magnetism) - Usborne Science with Magnets - Lightning: It's Electrifying (All Aboard Reading - step 3) -- Jennifer Dussling Videos: - Magic School Bus: Gets Charged (electricity) -- grade 1-5 - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Electricity - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Static Electricity - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Magnetism - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Electricity - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Magnets Kits: - Science with Magnets (book and kit) -- gr. 1-5 - Adventures in Science: Electricity (kit) -- gr. 3-8 - Science in a Nutshell: Magnet Magic (gr. 3-6) - Science in a Nutshell: Electricity & Magnetism Cluster (gr. 3-6) - Science in a Nutshell: Electromagnetism (gr. 3-6) - Adventures in Electricity kit (gr. 3-8) - Science in a Nutshell: Charge It! Static Electricity (gr. 4-6) - Science in a Nutshell: Electrical Connections (gr. 4-6) - TOPS #32 Electricity (gr. 3-8) - TOPS # Magnets (gr. 3-8) - Snap Circuits SIMPLE MACHINES Inclined plane, lever, pulley, screw, wedge, gears, etc. Books: - The Way Things Work (David MacCauley) (gr 4+) Videos: - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Simple Machines - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Belts and Gears - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Inclined Planes - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Levers - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Pulleys - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Screws - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Springs - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Wheels and Axels Kits: - Gears and Pulleys kit (Museum of Science and Industry) - Science in a Nutshell: Simple Machines Cluster (gr. 2-6) - Science in a Nutshell: Clever Levers (gr. 4-6) - Science in a Nutshell: Pulley Power (gr. 4-6) - Science in a Nutshell: Wheels at Work (gr. 4-6) FLIGHT/ROCKETRY Books: - Magic School Bus: Takes Flight (flight) - Magic School Bus: Liz Takes Flight (flight) - No-Sweat Science Space and Flight Experiments (flight, rockets) Videos: - Magic School Bus: Takes Flight (flight) -- grade 1-5 - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Flight - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Flight Kits: - Magic School Bus: Soaring into Flight (book and kit) -- gr. 1-5 - Science in a Nutshell: Gliders to Jets (gr. 4-6) WATER PHYSICS Floating, sinking, pressure, buoyance, adhesion/cohesion, etc. books: - Magic School Bus: Ups and Downs (buoyancy) - Water (All Aboard Reading - step 1) -- Emily Neye videos: - Magic School Bus: Ups and Downs (buoyancy) -- grade 1-5 - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Bouyancy - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Floating - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Sinking kits: - Science in a Nutshell: Water Physics (gr. 4-6) - TOPS #200 Pressure/Buoyancy (gr. K-12) MACHINES / STRUCTURES Books: - Magic School Bus: Under Construction (structures) - Magic School Bus: Gets Programmed (computers) - Magic School Bus: Revving Up (engines) - Amazing Buildings (DK Reader - step 2) -- Kate Hayden - Really Big Things (DK Reader - step 3) -- Michael Teitelbaum - The New Way Things Work -- David MacCauley (for grades 4/5+) - Submarines (Step Into Reading 4) -- Sydelle Kramer - Extreme Machines (Eyewitness Reader 4) -- Christopher Maynard - Really Big Things (DK Reader 3) -- Michael Teitelbaum Videos: - Magic School Bus: Under Construction (structures) -- grade 1-5 - Magic School Bus: Gets Programmed (computers) -- grade 1-5 - Magic School Bus: Revving Up (engines) -- grade 1-5 - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Structures - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Inventing - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Computers - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Engines - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Pumps - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Sensors - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Steam Power - Schlessenger Media series: The Way Things Work: Telecommunications - Building Big series (dome, skyscraper, bridge, dam, tunnel) -- grade 4+ (companion website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/) Schlessenger Media videos at: http://www.libraryvideo.com/sm/twtw.asp) Science in a Nutshell available at: Delta Education http://www.delta-education.com/siansplash.aspx?subID=5&menuID=17 Edited November 21, 2008 by Lori D. fixed faulty web link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 First of all, Lori D. is the bomb, which means she's awesome, and right :D I love the Let's Read and Find Out Science series. Add to that whole wonderful list Gadgets and Gizmos and you can complete your study of Physics for all your children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyt Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Hi, In Australia, we're just wrapping up the school year. I have just spent the year doing "Physics Experiments for Children" as recommended in TWTM with the Usborne Internet-linked Science Encyclopedia as our reference. I did it with my year 4 dc and my year 1 dc. We usually got through at least 2 experiments in a 1 hour session, and then I assigned the easier of the two experiments to my dc1 to write up the experiment report on, and got dc4 to do the harder one. For the first roughly half of the year, dc1 narrated the experiment report to me but now she writes her own to the best of her ability. They took notes and drew diagrams in their science notebooks and dc1 seemed to take most of it on board. We were just doing electrical circuits the other day and dc1 was right into it with dc4. I find my dcs tend to act like peers and only differ in level of comprehension and writing ability. This is easily catered for without having to separate the two or anything. I have a 4-year-old ds and he tends to join in too - I love HSing. I hope this helps. It's certainly not a resource list but we had a great year with physics. We had 2 electrical kits, a set of magnets, a "light optics" kit (very simple but effective) - all of which I picked up at garage sales and cheap shops, and some plastic tubing from our local hardware store for the earlier experiments in the book. We used some of the internet sites linked to the textbook and that was about it. Oh, and quite a few extra books from the library that were lots of fun to read and add in extra experiments. I felt like they learnt a lot without a great deal of effort on my part and basically we all had lots of fun. Cheers, Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I am using NOEO Physics I with a 4th grader who is NOT advanced and it is right on level for him. It is a bit above my K'ers head and he IS advanced. I love NOEO, but I am not sure one level would really fit all of your children. I think the K'er and the 2nd grader would do fine with NOEO Physics I - depending on what you required of them. However, and advanced 4th grader would probably be a bit bored. The level II stuff is more on an advanced 4th grader's reading level and possibly interest level too. I would go with some of the other suggestions...unless you want to do both levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey in MA Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 FWIW, we are using RS4K this year as well. I like it so-so. The technical info presented is great! Very accurate yet kidsy (i'm making up words as I go!). A little dry though. Good for an advanced 4th grader I think. My DS9 needs more "bang" though. He's bright, but not in love with school. So I wish we had done more experiments and less book work this year. Maybe a mish-mash would have been better for us? Anyway, I wanted a curriculum, b/c science, though interesting to me, has never been my strong point. FWIW, we also tried a subscription to PLATO Science through the Homeschool Buyers Co-Op. It is actually meant for middle school students, but was OK and followable enough for a bright 4th grader. I personally really liked it! But my hard-to-please DS didn't love it, since it involved a little bit of thinking (he is "work adversive" - hee hee!) and work. The format is nice though. A computer "lesson", several try-it type things on each computer page, then a walkthrough some more exercises. I think there is a test to do with each lesson too, but we haven't used that. ANYWAY, something like this might be good for you to use as a base, and then just use various experiement books to have fun with exploring on alternating days? https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_epp_offer&Itemid=323 I think I got it on a group buy that was about $15 or $20. I might not have considered trying it if it were $50. Maybe the current price will come down.... Anyway, just a thought. GL! - STacey in MA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenC Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Those were the ages of my girls when we did physics for the first time. We did very little book work, we mostly used kits. The Knex bridge kit and Snap Circuits were big hits. We also used a couple of Delta Nutshell Kits. I think we really liked the one on wheels and one on levers. Have fun, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Another vote for Lori D's mega list of physics stuff!!! We've been plugging along, taking a section per month and really enjoying it! I ordered most of the Science in a Nutshell kits (the most major expense for Science for the year), and just wanted to share that I found all the Bill Nye videos (just 5 minutes ago, in fact!!) on YouTube, which means they are FREE! I was getting nervous because our library has very little in the way of the books/videos on Lori D's list, and they are rather costly to purchase from Amazon, but finding the videos on YouTube is a real score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 We are enjoying Teaching Physics with Toys (thanks to Jessica for the recommendation). Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIN Posted November 22, 2008 Author Share Posted November 22, 2008 Laura - Can you tell me more about the Teaching Physics with Toys? Does it have text as well as the experiments? Are you using other books as well as this one? Is this one book enough for an entire year? Anything else? This looks interesting and do-able with the ages of my boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 I plan on doing Physics next year with a NON-advanced 4th, regular 2nd, & a very young Ker. I'm leaning toward NOEO 1, but have also considered Science in a Nutshell & TOPS. I looked at Lori D's mega list, but I'm horrid at getting science done without a "set" curriculum & my kids adore the experiments & don't like so much the reading. We are not TV/computer types (as far as curriculum/kids go), so that stuff won't work for us. I continue to :lurk5: and will try to decide later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Paige is writing physics for Elemental Science. I will definitely be considering it. We are one year early in the cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) We are enjoying Teaching Physics with Toys (thanks to Jessica for the recommendation). Best wishes Laura Which Knex set or sets are required for the course? I can get the older version of the book (which doesn't include Knex) from the library, but not the newer one to know how much of an investment in Knex we would have to make to use it. Edited December 7, 2009 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 :lurk5: I hate Knex. :( They are so hard for me to clip together. I will have to try again. I am a wimp :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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