How important is science in upper elementary?

[Ting Tang]

Initially, I thought we'd not plan any formal science because we really need to work on having good habits in our homeschool.  We are entering our third year of homeschooling.

But I am starting to have doubts.

This mainly affects my rising 4th and 5th graders.  My rising 4th grader will be starting AAR 3.  He is still a struggling reader.  I feel we need to work on that first and foremost.  He has been reading on his own this summer.  My rising 5th grader is very bright.  He enjoys science, but he can be quite challenging to work with in other subject areas.  The law says I must teach science but does not specify to what extent.  I am sure we will encounter it in our daily lives because he is into the great outdoors.  But...am I really doing him a disservice by not having a formal science curriculum scheduled?  I know he would enjoy it more than other subjects.  But I feel like we need to work on him having good attention, focus, attitude, drive, etc. 

Thoughts?

[EKS]

You don't need a formal science program.  It is fine to simply read books, watch documentaries, observe the world, and discuss.

However, I would argue that if he enjoys what he is learning (or a subset of what he is learning) now, he will be better able to have good attention, focus, attitude, and drive, and that if he thinks that school can be interesting, he will more likely to (eventually) do what it takes to learn the boring, tedious bits. 

So I guess my point is that you might want to not only prioritize science, but prioritize making it as interesting as possible (so don't ruin it with worksheets, tedious activities, memorization, and so forth).  Because of this, I would absolutely not do a formal program, since most program developers have no idea what it means to make a subject truly engaging.

[Ting Tang]

2 minutes ago, EKS said:

You don't need a formal science program.  It is fine to simply read books, watch documentaries, observe the world, and discuss.

However, I would argue that if he enjoys what he is learning (or a subset of what he is learning) now, he will be better able to have good attention, focus, attitude, and drive, and that if he thinks that school can be interesting, he will more likely to (eventually) do what it takes to learn the boring, tedious bits. 

So I guess my point is that you might want to not only prioritize science, but prioritize making it as interesting as possible (so don't ruin it with worksheets, tedious activities, memorization, and so forth).  Because of this, I would absolutely not do a formal program, since most program developers have no idea what it means to make a subject truly engaging.

Thanks so much!  That is what I was thinking about school being interesting...  Sometimes I feel like I have too much on my plate, but I want to make sure they are all receiving a well-rounded education, too.  

[Ellie]

IMHO, the most important thing for younger dc is that they enjoy science, so that when they get to high school or college, where it's required, they will say, "Oh, boy--science!" instead of "Oh man---science! 😞 " The fun things you do now prepare them for more later.

[Clarita]

3 hours ago, Ting Tang said:

My rising 5th grader is very bright.  He enjoys science, but he can be quite challenging to work with in other subject areas.  The law says I must teach science but does not specify to what extent.  I am sure we will encounter it in our daily lives because he is into the great outdoors.  But...am I really doing him a disservice by not having a formal science curriculum scheduled?  I know he would enjoy it more than other subjects.  But I feel like we need to work on him having good attention, focus, attitude, drive, etc. 

In general no. However in your son's case I would actually say yes. I don't think you need to do "formal" science meaning follow a strict curriculum or anything (because it sounds like you feel overwhelmed by even just the 3Rs), but I think something that'll show him how math can help you do cool things in science. Maybe something like a monthly crate things. (Kiwi crate, or CrunchLab from Mark Rober). They have a fun build thing and a "magazine" that explains a little more the science behind what they just did, available jobs and what people use to do those jobs. I've only done Kiwi Crate with 5 and under, but they will still tell them how arithmetic and counting can be useful. That hopefully motivates and creates in them a drive to learn math or reading or writing.

[HomeAgain]

I will say we very much enjoyed Mystery Science when we did it.  Low prep, definitely engaging, can be done weekly.  It got my kid thinking about science as a way of thinking and processing information.  I always struggled with finding something that wasn't a waste of our time and effort - this was one that fit into our schedule easily and allowed flexibility.

[Mom_to3]

We didn't start formal science until my eldest entered 7th grade I believe (and has had no difficulty whatsoever in transitioning to a formal curriculum), and my second is taking his first formal science course right now as he enters 6th grade (Intro to Physics with AoPS , which is really also an intro to scientific methods). What we do have is a huge number of great science books all over the house, usually with interesting illustrations/photos to catch their interest, in addition to great and detailed text (often well above what was likely their real reading level at the time). So they've actually spent a lot of time "studying science" by reading science - and they know a lot. Even my little one is trying to read some of these books! 

[Ting Tang]

Thank you all!  I've been thinking about buying a couple of the science units from The Good and the Beautiful.  I think the older two would enjoy them, but I am also torn because yes, I have been overwhelmed just thinking about covering the basics.  But what feels like a lot for me might not be a lot for them.  I've looked at Generation Genius, but I do not like having to print stuff off myself.  I will look more at Mystery Science, too!

[ScoutTN]

We unschooled science at that age. Loads of library books, hands-on projects, the zoo, the nature center, the children’s science museum, good documentaries - all stuff we’d do anyway!
 

We did get a decent microscope in late elementary/early middle school and that was a good investment.
 

Gardening, weather, feeding and watching birds, food science, home repairs - science is everywhere and all you have to do is help them make connections.

[Ting Tang]

14 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

We unschooled science at that age. Loads of library books, hands-on projects, the zoo, the nature center, the children’s science museum, good documentaries - all stuff we’d do anyway!
 

We did get a decent microscope in late elementary/early middle school and that was a good investment.
 

Gardening, weather, feeding and watching birds, food science, home repairs - science is everywhere and all you have to do is help them make connections.

Thank you so much!  This makes me feel better.  My husband agreed, even if we buy nothing now, there is no rule that says we can't later---and we can make sure we help make connections.  I think we do a decent amount of that already. 

 

[8filltheheart]

I have always just had my kids read books about various science topics and watch documentaries until they are ready for high school science content.  My kids have gone on to major in chemical engineering, physics, and atmospheric science with no problems.

Edited July 16, 2022 by 8filltheheart

[knitgrl]

4 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

 

We did get a decent microscope in late elementary/early middle school and that was a good investment.
 

I second this. We picked up the Magiscope, and it gets pulled out to examine lichen and other things that are found in the yard, over and above the formal science lessons we've used it for.

[Ting Tang]

Thanks everyone.  Well, I decided to order TGTB science units.  I like how they look, at the oldest seems very interested in them. So I guess we will do something more formal.  But we are still going to do a rolling start and pace ourselves with school.  

 

[Mom_to3]

On 7/16/2022 at 4:48 PM, knitgrl said:

I second this. We picked up the Magiscope, and it gets pulled out to examine lichen and other things that are found in the yard, over and above the formal science lessons we've used it for.

Ha, yes! We do have a great microscope too - just for informal "science" (it was a birthday or Christmas gift years ago).  They have also received various science kits over the years for various holidays (and DH talks about the science involved) - but they've never considered it work.

[prairiewindmomma]

You might look at Mystery Science for next year.  It's a short 10-15 minute video that's highly engaging followed sometimes by a lab activity. Most of the labs are just a couple of sheets you print in black and white from a link, but this year we also used paper cups, string, paperclips, and a few straws. The materials are very inexpensive. The labs have videos instructing the student what to do, and you can repeat one step on a loop as many times as you need to. It's a way for a student to gain independence.

What I really like about the curricula is that it's highly engaging AND it teaches scientific thinking. Most elementary curricula are either fact dumps or kind of boring labs.....draw this, mix these two things together, take a walk and observe....or they involve a lot of mom prep time. This is neither of those things.

[Ting Tang]

I did look at Mystery Science.  I do think it looks great!  I just decided to get something on paper, though, instead.  TGTB is very colorful, and I bought the book packs, so I think we will be in good shape.  I think the advice of having him do something he enjoys is good.  🙂  

[lmrich]

Go to your library and check out books on a science topic  that interests them. Have them watch videos that go along with it, and do some experiments, and have them write,  record and draw it all down in their lab notebook. Have fun with it. Spend time outside  gardening, go to your state parks, bring in rocks  to look at, have a pet... 

[2_girls_mommy]

If they like to draw, color, or anything artistic like that the funschooling journals made a HUGE difference in our schooling for my one dd that struggles with spelling and school a bit. We designed her science around what interested her with a journal.  She just did one page of her journal a day.  One page says to watch a documentary.  So we had a series picked out for those days.  She would watch an episode and draw pictures about what she saw.  The next day it says to copy an interesting diagram from your book.  The next day it says to read from your book, etc.   So each day she would get to start her day with her journal.  Might be worth looking into.  They have them do a little writing.