Melis Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Hello! :) I have two boys, ages 5 and 7, and we are currently using 106 Days of Creation Studies by Sonya Shafer and Nature Study (once spring arrives) for our science program this year. Looking ahead, I am leaning towards Apologia's Elementary Science series by Jeannie Fulbright OR God's Design for Science series by Debbie and Richard Lawrence. They both look WONDERFUL and I know they are both popular among many WTM moms. Does anyone have experience with BOTH of these curriculums and recommend one over the other? Thanks so much in advance! :) ~Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YJ in AL Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I don't think you could go wrong with either one. I have used both, liked both, and preferred Apologia. I was just able to "do" it with consistency. So you can see, the difference was more "me" instead of the curriculum. HTH, Yvonne in AL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melis Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Thanks Yvonne! :) I know what you are saying about the consistency, that's for sure! LOL In your opinion, what would say is the biggest difference between the two? Is there anything that you liked or disliked? How about the kids? Did they have a preference or seem to enjoy one more than the other? To further complicate the issue, I see that God's Design has been revised and it sounds like they have added a few things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I've looked at God's Design in the past, but it seemed sort of "boggy" and too technical for the ages it's geared toward. I like the conversational tone of Apologia more. Maybe that was just the samples I looked at though??? Also I got the impression of "only morons believe in an old earth." I'm a young earth creationist, but I just didn't care for that sort of tone. But again, maybe it's just the samples I saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I personally prefer Apologia. God's Design is a good solid program, but like someone said I think it is too technical for the ages it is geared toward. My experience comes only from one book in that series: Planet Earth, which I hear is the driest. They have since colorized and updated them. I have also heard many good things about God's design for Life too. We enjoy Apologia's color and conversation style as well as the notebooking and projects included, but you can spend 6 months - 1 year on one book (less if you rush through it), so I would also take into consideration that you may be covering biology over 2-4 years. So if you want to stay with the WTM recommended cycle then God's design might be a better fit since it fits perfectly with that. Also the year that I did Planet Earth (dd was in 3rd grade), I used the Apologia for Astronomy so you can also mix and match the two. Just some thoughts that I hope are clearer than mud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornerstone Classical Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I've used both, the important issue for me is that God's Design has a question/answer/experiment format and Apologia has the child do narrations. We have become burn out on narrations, and I would like more of a Q & A format. I also am excited that the new version of God's Design will be out March 1st. Have you seen the new version? Looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My experience comes only from one book in that series: Planet Earth, which I hear is the driest. This is the one I've seen, since Apologia doesn't have any earth science books. I was looking for some sort of earth science, so I looked at this one. I'll have to check it out again now that it's been updated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Can I just say that I'm not thrilled with either one for elementary. I totally agree that God's Design is just "boggy". That is a great term for it and I am glad you thought of it. Apologia Astronomy was a huge hit with my dc - but probably because dh has a telescope equipped with photographic equipment and "goto" technology. The other titles fell flat. Dc got tired of it. They became bored with the same subject over and over and over again. Even Swimming Creatures which I thought might be a hit after a wonderful visit to the Atlanta Aquarium just fizzled after a few weeks. So, I would pass on both. Have you considered Real Science 4 Kids? Or perhaps Noeo? My youngest really enjoyed Noeo Chem, but my oldest, again, did not like the same subject over and over and over again. If you have a dc who likes variety, have you considered BJU elementary science? That was the biggest hit for us overall. Sorry if I went off track too much. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melis Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Thank you so much everyone for your thoughts and information! You have given me much to think about! :) I've used both, the important issue for me is that God's Design has a question/answer/experiment format and Apologia has the child do narrations. We have become burn out on narrations, and I would like more of a Q & A format. I also am excited that the new version of God's Design will be out March 1st. Have you seen the new version? Looks great. Katherine...We have reached the same point with narrations. DS7 is tired of doing narrations for so many subjects and, quite frankly, I do not blame him! LOL I have the Exploring Astronomy book and although I really like it, my boys were bored with it. I have visited the AIG website and really like the looks of the revised God's Design curriculum. I really do like the Apologia series too, but as of right now, I am leaning more towards God's design. I just really wanted to get a good feel from other users before I switched over. Already having purchased Exploring Astronomy, I didn't want to purchase God's Design and have them be the same. I do see similarities between the two, but God's Design seems to be a little more interactive and hands on. But it's so hard to tell from one sample lesson, you know? Have you considered Real Science 4 Kids? Or perhaps Noeo? My youngest really enjoyed Noeo Chem, but my oldest, again, did not like the same subject over and over and over again. If you have a dc who likes variety, have you considered BJU elementary science? That was the biggest hit for us overall. Holly...Thank you for your suggestions :) I must confess, I was (am) a bit concerned about whether dedicating an entire year to the study of astronomy would be practical. I have not checked out Real Science, Noeo or BJU...but I will! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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