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Apologia vs. Answers in Genesis
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Maybe there is another thread about this, but I can’t find one. I just wondered how Apologia and AIG science compare. I haven’t used much of either, but I know they are both good programs. I just want to hear what others think.
I think it’s just preference. Apologia is more wordy, lots of info on a page, -requiring a slower digestion (mentally-speaking); AIG is much less wordy, but also less conversational (and less interesting), IMO.
We tried AIG, but we were bored and they weren’t interested in listening to the readings.
Whereas Apologia, my son has always enjoyed (except the plant one), doing it himself; he’s learned so much. He still brings out different volumes to re-read under certain circumstances. For my dd, it was too wordy; so she uses living books and the Wonders of Creation series from Masterbooks, w/the free study guides. I think I’m going to try the Apologia Anatomy with her using the notebook, though. We’ll see…
However, others prefer the AIG over the Apologia.
Either is good, it’s just a preference issue.
Don’t know if I was helpful or not!
Thanks, Rachel. I’m sure somewhere along the line we will have used both. My science is already planned for a couple of years, but as my daughter gets older and I need to adjust some things, I may go for some science in either one of those.
I’ve heard that Apologia isn’t as young earth as AIG, but I haven’t used Apologia, so I don’t have personal experience with that.
I never understood Apologia to be old earth. I won’t use old earth material. According to this article, Apologia is young earth. So for me, AIG or Apologia would be suitable.
http://www.jeanniefulbright.com/apologia-science/young-earth-science/
I’d like to know more of the “why” you prefer one over the other. Please? I find the reasons so very helpful in my own decision making. Thank you!
It sounds like the difference is in the way they are written. I don’t prefer one over the other. I know a little about both, and both are good programs. With my daughter’s special needs as far as reading and processing information, when the time comes, I will have to base my decision on which will be easier for her to understand and hold her attention.
Apologia isn’t old-earth creationist; it is YEC. However, it doesn’t repeat it as often as AIG does, so it could be tweaked by an OEC family.
Yes, it is a matter of style. However, I wouldn’t write-off Apologia just because of your dd’s LDs. Since I think Apologia is actually more interesting than AIG, you would just need to break it up into smaller portions for absorption. I made the mistake with my dd by just giving it to her and expecting her to absorb it like her brother, reading a page or two at a time (not a good idea, there’s so much info packed into one page); but she’s an artist and really does not care about science (except for nature study). Looking back (and forward to try to have her use the anatomy one) if I had read-aloud smaller portions and then handed it over to her to go thorugh it more slowly and narrate to me or use a notebook, it may have worked.
My dd, also one with sequencing and processing problems, found AIG uninteresting; she found Apologia hard to follow due to the amt. of info., not that it wasn’t interesting.
HTH
Apologia has worked out well for us. My children like the experiments and I have them narrate after each section heading to help with the wordiness and higher content level. I find this helps all of us be able to process the information effectively. The books recommend narration every 3 pages or so, but I find it is too long of a reading for information digestion. It has worked well to discuss after each subject heading that is usually a few paragraphs. My oldest, age 10, loves to read and enjoys reading and re-reading her books outside of our time working through them. We are coming from a young earth perspective and have found the books to be compatible with our beliefs. Right now we are doing the new Chemistry & Physics book and my 10, 8, & 6 are loving it. It has dozens of experiments to do, which is a nice addition from the other books of hers that I own. They love to just sit and look and read what they can in this new book.
I like books I have read from Answers in Genesis, but their science didn’t work for us. I have tried Property with Ecosystems 3 times and we can never get past a lesson or two. My children found it to be less engaging. I found it dryer and more difficult to teach from to younger children.
I also use living books for science that my oldest avid reader has learned a lot from and I am hoping with time for these books to do the same for my younger children.
There is also a new book for elementary by Dr. Wiles (author of Apologia) that looks fabulous. If you google Dr.Wiles elementary science you should be able to find it. He has started a 4 year elementary science that goes in historical chronological order integrating science learning with some of the science history. He has finished the first volume on the first 6 days of creation. I am considering it for next year.
I hope this helps with your decisions!
If by AIG you mean the God’s Design, we liked them much better than Apologia. They seemed more “real”. The Apologia earlier books seemed to me to be “fluffy”, trying too hard to be “conversational” and “living” that it actually gets a little annoying. Since we don’t start this stuff until 3rd or 4th grade anyway, it drove us up the wall and we gladly went with nice, simple God’s Design. Plus i like the bios and stuff. I’m actually kind of sad I don’t get to do it with any more kids, sold my last set this summer. Sigh.
We’re using AiG’s God’s Design for the PHysical World right now… I had been reading aloud everything to my 4th, 2nd, and pre-school kids. It’s too much listening for the 2nd grader and younger. I think it was even too much listening for the 4th grader. So we’re adapting it…
I think I’m going to have the 4th grader read it aloud alone. If there’s an experiment, we’ll do that all together. For the younger people, we’ll read aloud a book about the person featured in the biography closest to the chapter the 4th grader is doing. The 4th grader will also have a silent reading book based on the biographical sketch.
That’s the main reason I bought the books – because I like the biographical sketches.
Doing it this way will definitely take longer and we may not get through all three books in the series. I’m thinking that for next year, we’ll switch to Apologia. But I don’t know! Science has been the hardest subject for me to find a curriculum we all like.
Agreeing with Bookworm. We also love lots of living science books, but just don’t care for the Elementary Apologia and we’ve completed two of them. We’re starting with AiG or God’s Design this year with ds9, but not until next term, I’ve decided.
Thanks, everyone, for the advice. When the time comes, I will look at both, and decide what will work best for my daughter. Right now she likes animal/nature studies, so Queen’s is working well for that:)
I vote for “Science from the Beginning” by Dr. Wile (1st in his new elementary series…)
Each lesson has a hands-on experiment/activity (very simple to do, with everyday materials…), then a discussion about it, and then a couple of questions/narration prompts type of wrap up (at different levels.)
(And it is from a Young Earth scientist – but for those that aren’t Young Earth it really doesn’t harp on it either…
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