I’m looking at using Apologia Elementarty Science with my 3rd grader (we’re not there yet, just thinking ahead). Those that have used Apologia Elementary Science, what 4 books would you recommend we use for grades 3-6?
We’re doing the swimming creatures one this year without having done the previous zoology books, and my girls LOVE it. ages 7 & 5. We also got the notebook and the jr. notebook that have lots of different activities for reinforcing the information and they really like that too, plus it’s a fun keepsake.
I was going to suggest let the first 3 be interest driven, then tackle Anatomy the 4th year.
OR choose 4 of the books besides Anatomy and use Anatomy in smaller doses (1 chapter at a time, spread as long as needed, beginning this year and planning to finish by the end of 4 years. 🙂
We have all 3 zoology books, and have found Zoo 2, Swimming Creatures to be the most interesting and fun. I would go with interest on the first one and then with whatever area your child may be lacking in. So if you haven’t covered astronomy much, do that in year 2 and then save anatomy for grade 6 (or even grade 7).
By the way, we got half way through the book and found that we needed to set it aside for awhile for a break and read living books and then went back to finish it up. We also used a lapbook with it, but had oral narrations first. Enjoyed the experiments and Try This.
There is a Yahoo group which the author is on that you may find helpful.
There’s a junior notebook? I assume that’s different than the notebooking one?
We attempted to start with Biology this year with my 8 & 7yos. Flopped big time… It was over their heads, and even on the different schedule to account for winter, we couldn’t go fast enough before there was no way to do some of the stuff. We are just reading living books for now, hoping to try again in the summer. But I am leery…. <sigh> Are the other books easier to do with snow on the ground? Maybe I could just do a different science book this year?
Sarah B: Could you have meant Botany instead of Biology? The Biology book is for upper grade science but the Botany book is elementary.
If you were speaking of Botany, we, too, are having a hard time with it. I did Astronomy with my 8 year old daughter and we spread it out for a whole 12 months. It was wonderful and she still remembers so much from that one. We stayed up til 2:00am to watch the Perseid meteor showers that come every October and it has become an amazing annual family thing now. The Botany isn’t neccesarily over my, now 9 year old, daughter’s head, she is just bored with it. We can’t wait to move on to the Zoology ones come spring.
jpkr: I say pick one that interests your child other than the anatomy because it is more advanced, and go from there. I chose the order of Astronomy, Botany, Flying Creatures, Swimming Creatures and Land Animals because that was the order God created. 🙂
Haha, yes, Botany. I had a toddler on my lap when I typed that. And they both start with B….
So can you do Astronomy in the winter snow and cold, as well? I think the girls would love to do that one, or one of the animal ones. Otherwise I was thinking of only doing science in the spring/summer/fall.
Sara B.: I guess you could really do it during any season you wanted. After looking through a few of the experiments, there are a couple that would require you to go outside like using a magnifying glass to melt chocolate and making one of those alka seltzer rockets from a film canister. But none of those really require you to be outside for huge lengths of time. The main thing is maybe missing out on some of the meteor showers that happen during the other seasons or not getting to use the telescope that you make in one lesson very long because of the temp outside. I know there is another meteor shower (cannot remember the name) in August as well as the Perseids in October. That was our favorite part.
Since we don’t live near the ocean, the swimming creatures book (and Land animals book) can be done anytime. I recommend Spring and summer for the flying creatures (birds and insects). I highly recommend the Your Backyard (birds) dvd to go along with Zoo 1. http://thecurriculumchoice.com/2010/10/your-backyard-birding-dvd/
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