natureluv Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 We have decided to homeschool (boys ages 7 &11) and I wanted a full curriculum program to start. We decided on BookShark because it seems simple. We have started with Package A and D+E condensed. I understand they are "faith neutral" rather than secular which isn't my favorite thing. I have been reading and seeing that RS4K is used, but I am not quite sure what from RS4K is used in either of those packages. I do prefer to have things as secular as possible, so I am a bit apprehensive and would like any insight on this. I think we have a pretty solid foundation on teaching evolution. We spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking, visiting National Parks (we are a military family and have had the privilege of traveling a lot) so I think we are capable of teaching these things through real life learning, but I would like to know which items included in these kits I need to be wary of so I can have conversations with my kids about these topics/supplement learning where needed. I am also open to any ideas to supplement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 I can't see how old your kids are, but often evolution isn't covered officially before middle school. We used casual discussion before that. We also covered it the summer before studying the ancients in history. We did a lapbook covering the Big Bang to modern man. If you are science-minded and up for a challenge i highly recommend BFSU as a framework for science lessons from the beginning into middle school. It isn't particularly use friendly, but it has everything laid out and interconnected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natureluv Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 My boys are 7 & 11. I need to figure out how to add a signature here!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbollin Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 Welcome to homeschooling. For how much you'll adjust will be a personal thing. Here is a link to the samples for RS4K. https://gravitaspublications.com/getting-started/samples/ Hoping that is a little bit helpful to you to get an idea of the books. I haven't used bookshark personally. Just listened to my friend who does. He was biology major long ago. I don't know how much he adds/changes etc to stuff, but even if I did, that kind of stuff is individualized. No suggestions for what to supplement. But echoing that some of it will be presented in future years in other texts. Enjoy those nature walks and hiking. One of the fun thing in homeschooling is being able to do that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 We found a little section with evolution books in the Childrens Non-Fiction section of the library. One of my kids was interested in elementary school and I checked some of those books out and we looked at them together. It hasn't been interesting to my other kids in elementary school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natureluv Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 25 minutes ago, cbollin said: Welcome to homeschooling. For how much you'll adjust will be a personal thing. Here is a link to the samples for RS4K. https://gravitaspublications.com/getting-started/samples/ Thanks! This is really helpful. When I look at the three week samples that I can currently see, it seems that none of it is rs4k. It is out of Usborne and some sheets that seem to be published by bookshark. I do know that I read a portion from the history section that has to do with Dinosaurs and it does talk about how long ago dinosaurs were on earth. Quote How long ago did dinosaurs roam the earth? The book states the prevalent scientific theory of “225 million to 65 million years ago.” How do we know how long ago dinosaurs lived? Geologists (scientists studying rocks and minerals) and paleontologists (scien- tists studying prehistoric life) have determined this time frame by comparing the age of the rock that dinosaur re- mains have been found in. The surrounding plant and ani- mal fossils, along with the dating of neighboring volcanic rock, give us an estimate as to when each dinosaur lived. I can see where that is a bit open to interpretation, but I don't think it is terrible for a 7 year old. This will definitely be one thing I am going to worry about with BookShark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommalongadingdong Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Build Your Library has an evolution unit that'll work with your kid's ages if you just want something planned to supplement. Her stuff is well done and affordable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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