Different science for each child?

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  • amama5
    Participant

    I’m just getting organized to start SCM next summer and really like the subjects done together as a family.  I’m a little confused as to how science works out with each child, for example if I went with the apologia series on the curriculum guide.  I know each child will do math separately at different levels, but do they also do science separately as well?  Would my 2nd grader do the astronomy, 1st grader doing botany?  If we did them together, I would still have to repeat the astronomy(or botany, etc) for the next children coming up into that grade level.  (I have 5 children so it will get more complicated as they age).  I’m just not seeing how once they are all schooling how to do 5 different levels of science, and still have enough time in the day for all of them! I hope that made sense, thanks!

    baileymom
    Member

    We do Science as a family, using Apologia’s elementary series.

    I have 4 school-aged children (13, 10, 8, 6…and 3 little tag-alongs:). I know that most would have their 13 yr old  doing Science independently by now, and we tried that this fall, but we soon realized it wasn’t necessary, and was just adding stress to our day. We plan to have her start Apologia’s HS Science next year (skipping General), which still gives her plenty of time to cover most everything (necessary) they offer. *She’s not very interested in Science…I realize this may be different with my boys.

    **I plan to just continue to go through the elementary series, repeating them every 5-6 yrs.

    Rachel White
    Participant

    Yes, it’d be crazy to a different science for each child. I would suggest starting with the Astronomy one, as tht is the ‘youngest’ in the series. I would recommend adding in the Christian Lib. Nature Readers according to the level for their personal reading. http://www.christianbook.com/christian-liberty-reader-volumes-second-edition/pd/2732

    Also, to encourage their love of nature, continue in Nature study activities, teaching them how to identify using a field guide, start a creation notebook if you want to do that per CM, and have lots of books on Creation science from Masterbooks and Answers in Genesis along with library books.

    My children have also enjoyed the magazines Nature Friend and Creation Illustrated to supplement.

    HTH, Rachel

    amama5
    Participant

    Thank you for the replies! Just to make sure I’m understanding, I think you are saying to do science in “modules” a little like the history modules?  Astronomy for all the children one year, then the botany(or whateveter we choose) the next year, and so on, then just repeat those books once you cycle through them until they reach the older level of science books?  We also really enjoy Burgess books so we are doing those as well.  Thanks again for the help, Adrienne

    Rachel White
    Participant

    Yes, like modules.

    Rachel

    ilovehomeschool
    Participant

    Rachel, I have a seven-year old son and I own the “Christian Liberty Nature Reader” Books K-5.

    I am wondering if this set is considered ‘living books’ and how to use the books, if I should read them to my son or have him read them aloud to me as practice reading?

    LDIMom
    Participant

    Well I will share from a different perspective. I do have our 3 older boys doing different science, but we have always done it together until this year. We STILL do nature walks together and experiments when we get to them are enjoyed by all 5 children.

    Our 11YO son is just gaining confidence in reading and he REALLY, REALLY wanted to read his own science book as our 12 and 9YO sons have always done. We did read-aloud together but our 11YO (just learning English the last year) was bored and didn’t like the Apologia books. So … I found the Christian Liberty Press God’s Design Grade 2 book cheap at a consignment sale. It goes along nicely with Apologia and he LOVES being able to read it himself. I do have him read-aloud with me b/c it serves two purposes. i can check his reading skills and comprehension with oral narration after, and he gets to read to his younger siblings (all the older love this and so do the youngers).

    Oldest DS is reading the Apologia Gen. Science book however I told him the experiments would be optional. We’ll do some of them but as I said before, we’ll do those as a family. Our middle son (9YO) is reading the Botany book this year. We have already done Zoology 1, 2 and 3 together the last couple of years. I plan to do Astronomy with both younger boys (11 and 9) as my 11YO will have that much more reading skills under his belt. It will also go nicely with the Apologia Physical Science book.

    It really isn’t a lot b/c we don’t do a lot of the activities and when we do, we do them as a family. We don’t do the notebooking but do keep our nature journals and narrate. When we narrate/discuss, this is together as well. It works for us and fits their needs for this year.

    Rachel White
    Participant

    When my children were in the 1 and 2 Readers, I had them read a section aloud to me and then narrated orally to me( the amount read and narrated varied depending upon their narrating skill development). Then for the 3rd and 4th readers, they read for themselves independantly and narrated orally.

    Up till the 4th Reader, you could possibly call it a quasi-living book, since they are somewhat story-like in their presentation, but I don’t think they fit the full definition like the Burgess books do. That being said, they are wonderful and my children have enjoyed them and learned so much.

    HTH,

    Rachel

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