1st grade science

For first grade we did 106 Days and it went really well. Second grade was Astronomy and third grade is Flying Creatures. Next year, hopefully, we will do Swimming Creatures. Then, Land Animals for fifth and Human Anatomy for 6th.

That has been my scope and sequence for quite some time. We’ll see how it goes 🙂

Jenn

We did only Nature Study and living books for 1st grade. 

I stretched 106 days of creation over 2nd and 3rd grade by adding stuff to it. (This was a HUGE hit with my kids, and I’m looking forward to doing it again when my younger set hit the school age!) 

I looked into the APologia Courses, but we honestly couldn’t stand them.  They were not a good fit with our family at all.  So instead we did some of AnnVoskamp’s A Child’s Geography in 4th, and I was planning on continuing it, but then I got sick with pregnancy and was put on bed rest.  We switched over at that point to only living books for science, and I have to say, they are learning SO MUCH, with just the living books!  I’m debating to stick with living books only at this point, or go back to Ann Voskamp’s book once I’m feeling better.

Thought I’d throw in some ideas in case APologia doesn’t work out!!

We are homeschooling for the first year teaching our second grade son & we use 106 Days of Creation as well. The only frustrating part is that if you are in an area that has the full 4 seasons, some of the lessons do not fit with the season. For example, we are studying insects right now and it is so cold that none can be found. But otherwise, it has worked out wonderfully for us.

When you start to get overwhelmed and you start to wonder “Is this the right choice!?”  just think back to what you remember learning in 1st grade science.  Chances are, not much.  🙂  So no worries!  No matter what you choose, they will learn something!

CM taught that using Nature Study and living books when children were elementary ages was enough.  If you are consistant in your outdoor time and nature study, your child is learning science – he may not know all the formal names, but he will learn the processes nature uses. Then as your child studies more formal science, he will already know the material – he will just be learning a name for that process.  It is his connections coming into play, and he will delight in the more formal setting because he already KNOWS the material.  

This is so true.  I have seen this over and over with my girls in the last two years.  Living books and nature study are enough!  In fact, they are vital to our science studies – my daughter w/APD is thriving in science because she is not chained to the endless textbooks!  I love hearing her tell me about something she learned through her living books when we are on our nature walks. She is LIVING that information and retaining far more than I anticipated.

You just have to get over the myth and pressure of “normal school” – (which is easier said than done). We enjoyed 106 Days and are going to be starting Outdoor Secrets soon with my younger kids.  Like Christie said, it is the organization that is the best benefit. I have learned how to find the living science books after using the 106 Days books, and I have been thankful for the topics laid out.  But I have added to the suggested activities because I can and have found additional places or people for us to see and visit on the various topics.  

Also, things like planting a garden, eating it and preserving it, going to the geological museums, mines, creek bed, caves, state parks, and allowing the kids to experience those things regularly taught them far more on a variety of related topics than the textbooks ever could.  

It doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective. That’s another one of those “myths” we tend to believe – unless we shell out big bucks, our kids will have inferior educations. Let it go…save your money for the important things when they are older and you need the big bucks. 😉

@potpourri – I’m sorry that you felt like we were picking on you personally, that was not anyone’s intent.  Each family and each person within that family are different and have different needs/challenges – and we all acknowledge that. Please understand none of us is looking down at anyone!  We have older chilidren (teenagers) that we have already run the gamut with curriculums, and have the homeschooling life experience behind us to know that not all people need to have a guide that tells us what to do. That does not mean that we all plan every subject out all by ourselves. Most of us have plenty of guides that we use daily.

However, we simply were reassuring the OP that one really can teach using living books, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t plan and schedule those books (which basically is a guide).  

In fact, the History Modules and 106 Days came about because Sonya scheduled her living books in an organized way. I suspect that Outdoor Secrets Companion also came about in the same way. Karen Smith (SCM’s writer of Jack’s Insects Notebook and experienced CM homeschool mom of several teenagers) posted in another thread about her experience with living books. They found a living book and planned activities and other books to delve more deeply into the subject – like your new Scholastic book sets do.  (BTW, you are creating a guide for your personal use of those! Cool, huh??) 

@Alec05 -I too think that 106 Days or Outdoor Secrets is a great way for you to go at the beginning, and then with that experience, you’ll fill more confident about either living books or a more scripted choice!  Also, you need to remember that you are teaching the child, not the curriculum – and IT IS OKAY to substitute books you can’t borrow, find, or afford.  We all do it!