jenL Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 What is your favorite science curriculum for a 1st grader? I'm leaning toward R.E.A.L Science - Life by Pandia Press www.pandiapress.com I also think NOEO would be a great fit too, but it's kind of pricey. Any other ideas are welcome too! :) Thanks for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I keep science fairly simple up to grade 4. My kids tend to seek out "science" type activities so I just take advantage of their natural curiosity of the world. Our science curriculum for grade Pk-about 4 is to 1. Have a science reader to read each day...this year we are reading Christian Liberty Press Nature Reader book 1. But any book...including random library books of interest would do. Read then narrate. If you feel like writing the narration you can do that. 2. Have a weekly Nature study and work on a nature notebook. Barb's Outdoor Hour is great! She has done all the planning for you. Nature study is very effective at improving their observation of the natural world and vocabulary. YOU will need to do your homework ahead of time but with Barb's Outdoor Hour and the Handbook of Nature Study it is fairly easy. 3. Science Experiment kits. Pick one and do it at least weekly. My kids love science experiment day. 4. Every few weeks raid the library for books of interest and then keep them readily available for them to sort through in the afternoons. If you have any limitations or expectations then you can of course pick a topic to read. Usborne and DK books are visual and appealing to this age and readily available from any library. 5. If you haven't already done it. Grade 1 is a great time to have an ant farm, watch a tadpole change to a frog or have a butterfly garden. That's it! Daily science reading, weekly Nature Study, Weekly science experiments and time to explore topics of interest. My goals for science in the early years was vocabulary, observation skills and interest. I wanted my kids to think that science was awesome! I guess it worked because both of my olders are planning on science majors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 We are doing life science for 2009-2010, and were going to use NOEO. I found two programs which are (IMO) of superior quality to anything else I've found and we actually started one of them this week. When we are finished with the first, we will move onto the second. The best part is that they are both completely free. Life Science at eequalsmcq is a printable textbook and TM. Otter's Science at http://ourlosbanos.com/homeschool/index.html is a comprehensive list of books and activities laid out week by week. In addition, we are adding some of our own science experiments and field trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I'm going to stick with what TWTM does for science this year and see how that goes. I just can't afford to buy more "curriculum". There's a ton of stuff on the internet for experiments and I taught jr. high science for years, so that's right up my alley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 We did WinterPromise Animals and Their Worlds for first grade, but it's a whole theme, not just science. The next little guy will likely do Singapore Start Up science and parts of World Around Me from WinterPromise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshyne Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 We are using R.E.A.L. Science (Life) here, and we love it! It was a bit pricey, but I love that I can print out what I need and the materials are all things I have around the house. I also get supplementary books from the library, but I've not bought any other books. To me, it was worth it. Science gets done in our home now, and we all enjoy it together. Oldest DS is doing the Chem. one, and so we all sit in on his lessons, too. :) It's been great so far! I'm sure you'll find what fits for your family, and I hope you have as much fun as we do. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 We have loved REAL Science Life and I highly recommend it. The activities and experiments are just perfect for this age. We are just finishing after spending 1.5 years on it and going on to Earth Science/Astronomy, hopefully we will do all of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Mouse Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 We used R.E.A.L. Science for first grade and really enjoyed it. She has a very nice list of suggested picture books and other resources that add a lot to the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 My first graders have gotten science just how it's explained in TWTM, only without the schedules (like human body for X weeks). A few good children's encyclopedias were more than sufficient for that age. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 We did Noeo Bio I this year and have enjoyed it. I figured, at least it was 'real' books, so if we didn't like it, we'd still have a nice reference library. :) So far, so good. We've cut back on the notebooking, and we've supplemented occasionally on experiments, but overall it has been a good fit for us ... very gentle and conversational since it's book-oriented. Just a few pages a day. I have a wiggly kid, and I deal with an anxiety disorder, so the low-pressure approach was great. There may be better programs out there, but for us it works. (I do wish I wasn't all thumbs with science experiments though!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I actually really like the Real Science 4 Kids books by Rebecca Keller. They helped my children get more out of trade books. We also have enjoyed The Usborne First Encyclopedia of Our World for geology, meteorology and astronomy topics. All that said, my 6yo will be doing Noeo next year with his older siblings. If it was just him, we would create a terrarium, care for some gerbils and goldfish, tend to some hanging strawberries and herbs in the kitchen, and read whatever science books he wanted from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcara Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 My first grader has been doing animal studies with lapbooks from www.homeschoolshare.com and lots of library books. We did mammals for quite a while before Thanksgiving, then fish until Christmas, then humans for 4 weeks in January, then reptiles, and we will probably finish insects next week. Then we will do birds through April. She LOVES lapbooks, so this has been perfect for her. She does see her 3rd grade sister doing chemistry experiments and asks why she doesn't do any. I am planning on R.E.A.L. for earth science for her for 2nd grade. I think it will be a great program that she will enjoy. I don't mind spending the money since I have lots of little ones following who will use the program again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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