BellaOnline Forums Education Homeschooling What do you use for science?

To those of you who use actual curriculum materials - do any of you have a web resource or a specific set of workbooks that you really like for elementary science?

Lynn-

We have done mostly project based science up until this year. Now we are using cyber-ed courses through the homeschool buyer's co-op. The kids really like the programs, and I really like the cost! It was just $20 per course for the year. DD 7 just finished life science and has started physics, ds 11 is doing biology and then chemistry.

I've also heard good things about Singapore science, but have not seen it myself.
hth-

Lorel

FYI- I just found out that these cyber-ed courses are the same classes that JHU CTY uses for their distance learning for gifted children. The difference, I believe, is that they provide interaction with a tutor and a per pupil cost of $640. Yikes!

I am homeschooling an accelerated gifted student. We use Open Courseware from some of the top Universities:

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We use Exploration Education. They basically send out a box with the items to use in experiments, and then a Computer CD to install the program. My kids can do it on their own, and they really enjoy it. In fact, there are only enough experiments for about one per week for a semester... my kids end up going through it way quicker LOL. So then we supplement with field trips and science shows on the The Learning and Discovery channel.

We're using Sonlight, Science 2 and Science 4.

The books include Usborne texts and TOPS experimental workbooks, as well as a couple other smaller resources. Thus far, I'd give the programs about a B-. The kids aren't overly inspired...but then again, the kids aren't big science kids to begin with. So I don't really know for sure if it's the curriculum or their own preferences.

BUT they're learning the basic principles they need to learn, so basic goals are being accomplished.

:-) Cate

We mostly read Usborne books and books from the library at this point, but I think we may eventually use Apologia. I have heard great things about their elementary books. They do come from a Christian perspective, though.

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I haven't been overly impressed by Usborne.

A good resource for special projects is Audubon Adventures. Aimed at grades 4-6, available from National Audubon Society or your local chapter if you have one. My chapter provides the year-long program free to school and home teachers. The program is geared toward wildlife and conservation. You can find more info at www.audubon.org

This year the girls are older so we are using Calvert. I actually LIKE the textbooks, but they are still textbooks. I put both of them in the 4th grade book because it was too much for me to do it all seperately and my older child needed more of a basis to do her book.

That said, they are finding it fascinating so we do a chapter and then we do a unit study of our own design on the subject afterwards. This is working great for us, the textbooks are somewhat dry and restricted but give a good knowledge base, the unit studies allow us to branch out and experiment even more. It may take us 2 years to get through 1 book but it's worth it!
Meg