Elementary Science

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

After discussing plans for next semester with DS7, I am looking for a science curriculum or series that is different from things we have tried in the past. DS wants something that will give him a general idea of what many different branches of science look like (not one-subject-per-year) so that he can then select areas that he’d like to dive into more deeply. 

Minimum requirements are that it is a secular, open-and-go survey course. I would prefer that it not involve a ton of supplies or labs; I want the framework to be light enough that we feel free to add to it without getting bogged down or pause for rabbit trails / unit studies without a bunch of supplies spoiling. We would be dedicating a 45-60min block to this once or twice a week (he prefers fewer subjects covered over longer periods).

ETA: He enjoys Magic School Bus (picture books, chapter books, episodes), the Let’s Read & Find Out series, & Human Body Theatre. I was underwhelmed by the MSB Science Kits we saw. 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Expat_Mama_Shelli

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

6 minutes ago, OneThoughtMayHideAnother said:

I know a homeschooling dad who used Usborne's "What Is Biology All About", "What Is Chemistry All About", and "What Is Physics All About" as a survey-style intro to science for his little kids... I believe the book "What Is Science All About" has all three of these in one volume.

Ooh, he loves Usborne - thanks! Many of the big overview books I’ve found, especially those by DK, are too visually overwhelming for him. 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

31 minutes ago, Paradox5 said:

FWIW, DK books are targeted to an older audience.

They are, but my DS prefers even the Usborne Encyclopedias (also geared much older, but still visually tidy). The busy-ness really bothers him. 

32 minutes ago, Paradox5 said:

Really, just going to the library and grabbing whatever strikes his fancy may be your best (and least costly) option.

This is what we’ve done this semester. It’s okay... but I’d like something a little more consistent/ structured. Just enough framework that we can steadily move through something & see progress.  

I think I remember hearing that there is a new guide or curriculum somewhere that is supposed to make BFSU more open-&-go; I’ll have to look into it. I’ll check out Nancy Larson & the public school texts while I’m at it.

Thanks for the ideas!

[Jackie]

9 hours ago, Expat_Mama_Shelli said:

 

This is what we’ve done this semester. It’s okay... but I’d like something a little more consistent/ structured. Just enough framework that we can steadily move through something & see progress.  

 

For a different perspective, elementary science is not an area where I believe “seeing progress” is the best goal. It usually means that the child has learned a certain set of predetermined facts. Science isn’t a set of facts, though. It’s a process of developing questions through curiosity, doing the research to learn what is already known, designing your own experiments, and evaluating your results. Those skills are developed through practice, and questions often come out of having read those stacks of library books on topics of interest. It isn’t linear.

If you’re wanting to make sure he has sufficient breadth, you could use the book lists from something like BFSU to guide your selection of library books.

[ktgrok]

Mystery science you could skip around topics. 

Oak Meadow might have something, they are secular. 

Eyewitness documentaries are on Youtube and fun. 

Oh - Crash Course Kids has short videos on a bunch of topics, also youtube. 

But honestly, not sure a kid at that age needs anything more than PBS Kids (Fetch with Ruff Ruffman is excellent!), some nature documentaries, and some Uborne books left out to peruse. 

Actually, I'm positive a 7 year old doesn't need more than that. And that a textbook might do more harm than good. 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

56 minutes ago, Jackie said:

If you’re wanting to make sure he has sufficient breadth...

This is what I meant, really. He wants a wide survey & I want just enough of a framework to follow to be sure we make our way around to exploring a good variety of topics so that he acquires enough of a background familiarity & vocabulary to dive more deeply into whatever sparks his interest later. 

[Miss Tick]

11 hours ago, Paradox5 said:

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, maybe? Haven;t used it myself, though.

This is what we used. The three books go easily from k-6 in our house. We supplement with experiments suggested or on our own, books from the library, crash course videos, etc. In the older years we add units from the American Chemical Society, a product table study, Ellen J McHenry cell and botany units (not the geology one).

The books interweave 4 basic stands of science in a suggested, but totally flexible sequence. The website has developed in the last few years and I imagine it provides a lot of support.

This curriculum is not for the faint of heart. I've generally stopped recommending it because most families don't seem to have the time, organization, skills, whatever to make a go of it. My first time through I planned out a sequence I wanted to follow based on the author's prerequisite suggestions, then over the summer I read through all the lessons and made notes and worksheets to guide us through the year. Then we meandered through at our own pace over the year. The first book required less planning, after a few lessons I could swing it from lesson to lesson with the occasional cancellation due to lack of preparation on my part.

You used to be able to buy $5 electronic copies which would be a good way to check it out if you consider it.

[Lori D.]

12 hours ago, Expat_Mama_Shelli said:

This is what I meant, really. He wants a wide survey & I want just enough of a framework to follow to be sure we make our way around to exploring a good variety of topics so that he acquires enough of a background familiarity & vocabulary to dive more deeply into whatever sparks his interest later. 

Possibly the Dempsey Parr Science Eycyclopedia? Out of print, but available very cheap used. We used it as a spine for science along about 2nd/3rd grade (and then went deeper on topics with other books/resources). The first 200 pages are divided into 6 sections, with each section covering 2 overall science topics; then for each overall topic, there are usually about six 2-page spreads on specific subtopics -- so about 12 pages total on each overall topic. The last 40 pages include simple-to-do-at-home activities related to the topics covered in the text. Below, are quick photos of the table of contents, and the page with the activities to go with "Sound". Next post I'll attach photos of the "Sound" section, chosen at random.. 😀

 

Edited December 25, 2019 by Lori D.

[Lori D.]

[lulalu]

We started off using BFSU. I found it open ended and it didn't have "text" to read so gave up on it. 

We then moved on to a textbook. Worst thing ever. So boring. 

So we are back to a slow go through of BFSU. We have a lot of Usborne books and many Let's Read and Find Out. Between all of those and documentaries it really has been wonderful. It covers so much and you can really take your time and discuss deeply. It isn't the easiest and it isn't one that is easy to check off each week. But it covers science well and encourages scientific thought. 

We got a digital copy for $5 I think it is worth it to at least try it out. Give it time for you to figure out first. 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

On 12/23/2019 at 11:56 PM, Paradox5 said:

MPH Science.

These are simple, but they have the breadth I was hoping for without the pages being too busy visually. Content-wise we’ll need to jump ahead a few levels, but we won’t need it annually so that’s fine. Perhaps we’ll try a level paired with the Usborne book that OneThought linked...

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

14 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Possibly the Dempsey Parr Science Eycyclopedia? Out of print, but available very cheap used. We used it as a spine for science along about 2nd/3rd grade (and then went deeper on topics with other books/resources).

This looks a lot like the Usborne Encyclopedia of Science, which we own. I suppose I could always pair the chapters in that with library books & simple Pinterest demonstrations / activities... maybe I’m making this more complicated than it needs to be.

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

6 hours ago, lulalu said:

We started off using BFSU. I found it open ended and it didn't have "text" to read so gave up on it. 

BFSU looks fabulous & I’ve been hearing people sing it’s praises for years, but it intimidates the heck out of me tbh. I love things like that for subjects I feel confident in, like writing or math, but right now I need more guidance for science & history.

[Lori D.]

8 hours ago, Expat_Mama_Shelli said:

This looks a lot like the Usborne Encyclopedia of Science, which we own. I suppose I could always pair the chapters in that with library books & simple Pinterest demonstrations / activities... maybe I’m making this more complicated than it needs to be.

That's why I had suggested it -- the book has quite a few demo/activities, and the pages are a bit like the Usborne books that you mentioned DS likes. I thought having both text and activities in one place might be handy. But if it's too much overlap, then no need to get yet another similar resource.

Yes, I do think that for a 7yo, science and history do NOT need to be complicated. A spine to move through the different topics week by week, a few additional books each week to go deeper, Magic School Bus videos, documentaries, and other resources as they fit, and a few demo/activities and/or field trips, and there you go... If DS really gets interested in a topic, you can get more formal/go deeper with specific resources. Have fun with your adventures in Science and History! cheers, Lori

Edited December 26, 2019 by Lori D.

[Sarah0000]

I use BFSU in that way. I open the book to whatever lesson we're on in whichever strand we want at the time. If it's something we've happened to cover a lot already through the natural course of homeschooling (science kits, reading lists, TV, museums, unit studies) then I use the questions in BFSU to discuss concepts and review vocabulary, sometimes the activity listed if there is one. If it's something we happen to not cover much naturally (geology, for us) then we'll have a brief intro conversation about what the topic is and how we don't know much about it but we'll learn a bit. For those sections then I request particular books and find kits or games to do over the next few weeks/months, then we'll review in BFSU.

If you're interested in going that route without having to prepare ahead of time, and since you're doing science in specified blocks of time, you will want something to fall back on. I use Primary Lentil Science for this. You do HAVE to prepare everything ahead of time however, and it's a lot of work. But now I just bring the box down and they get started. I find the skill focus of this program complementary to the concept focus of most lower elementary science programs, and it doesn't matter one bit where you happen to be in other science sequences. It's definitely not a survey of science topics, however.

I wonder if Singapore My Pals are Here might work for you, or similar grade leveled programs? I've looked at samples and it covers a  breadth of topics and has a textbook, workbook, and guide for discussion and activities. Possibly just the textbook and guide would work. I use Daily Science as a light science survey but that's all worksheets, definitely not a full science program unless you want to add in books and things.

 

 

[annegables]

I dont think this is what you are looking for, but wanted to put it out there... do you have access to a science museum near you? If you do, I would skip curriculum, buy a membership to the science museum (or natural history museum) and go there once a month. Then, whatever sparks interest follow up with a documentary found on youtube or Amazon prime or wherever. 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

5 hours ago, OneThoughtMayHideAnother said:

Building  Blocks of Science

These were hugely popular in Hong Kong when we lived there, but unfortunately I never could get DS interested in them. It’s been over a year though, & our local library has the whole physics series so perhaps we’ll give them another shot. Thanks for the reminder 😊

Edited February 10, 2020 by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax