If you are looking for a good Homeschool Science Curriculum then read this post.
Jaden's in sixth grade and will be starting "big-boy" science next year (by "big-boy" I just mean he'll be doing a full-blown 7th grade General Science curriculum), but I didn't want him to miss out on reading through the Apologia Exploring Creation books, which I absolutely love.
We already covered Apologia Botany two years ago, but that left Astronomy and three Zoology books to complete in the series. I thought it might be a bit ambitious to try to finish all four remaining books in one year, but I started this school year by giving it a try.
And I think we can do it. Of course we'll need to do science through next summer to get all four books done, but I think the schedule is completely doable for us.
Here's what's been working for us so far. I schedule one lesson per week. On Mondays, the older two kids read through half the lesson, then on Tuesdays we take an hour or so to discuss that part of the lesson together (with all three kids, including my first grader). I'm also modeling note-taking when we discuss the lesson together so that the kids learn how to take notes while they're reading. As I write notes about the lesson, they write them in their own notebooks. It was quite rough at first teaching them about note taking, but after only two weeks, the kids have seemed to pick up the skill quite well. The best part is they are realizing that they are learning the information better because they're being "forced" to take notes on their reading.
Wednesday and Thursday follow the same plan, with them reading half the lesson on Wednesday, and taking notes while they read, and then all of us discussing the reading together on Thursday.
If there are labs that we want to do associated with each lesson, we either fit them in during our discussion days or complete them on Friday afternoon and evening.
So far this schedule has worked wonderfully for us. We have plenty of time to complete each lesson, and the kids are really learning the material. If we stay on this kind of schedule, we should be able to complete all four remaining books (Astronomy and 3 Zoology books) by fall of next year, just in time for Jaden to start 7th grade science.
I hope you enjoy this homeschool science curriculum as much as we are as a family.
This looks like a great resource–thanks for sharing it! I have never quite found a science curriculum that has satisfied everything I want–so I'm always looking!
Blessings!
I was perusing my site meeter to see who's been visiting and it linked back to you so while I was here I thought I 'd read your current happenings. It is too funny because today I am going to go teach an art lesson on drawing a humming bird mosaic.
If that is something useful to you, check my blog on Friday and I will probably have the lesson up for Fine Art Fridays.
PS I love all things Well- Trained Mind too, especially SOTW.
The hummingbird lesson is up over at Ms. Julie's place. It is not the mosaic lesson I promised, but if you combine it with the mosaic tut lesson steps you will have a mosaic.
I hope you find it useful.
I am a fish out of water…you reeled me in on the Apologia Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day…now I need a related post on NOTE TAKING.
Thanks for all your posts…Love every single one!!
Many blessing to you and your family!