I’m a researcher by nature and I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on about studying science with younger children and I’ve even looked at scope & sequences of many products, our state and national standards and online academies.
I have dd7 who is in 2nd grade right now (and ds3), we’re going to finish our 2nd year of homeschooling and for science we’re studying Astronomy right now with Green Hour assignments for nature study from Barb of Harmony Fine Arts.
First of all, I really want nature study to become integral in our family life, I want specimens all over the house and aquarium tanks filled with friends to learn about but I’m also concerned with providing them the foundation they need in science in case that is the field they wish to specialize in.
I’ve talked to other parents about this and one of them has their children read the ABeka science textbooks every year as assigned reading in conjunction with nature studies. Her children also participate in 4-H and science education competitions.
My heart’s desire is to read my children wonderful books (I’ll list a few below) and then go off exploring but I have this nagging sense I need to provide just a little more. I figure I have 4 routes to take:
1. Use the living books, nature study and read ABeka/Bob Jones Science texts separately to insure of adequate exposure of state/national standards.
2. Use living books that cover the scope/sequence and any of our desired studies with nature study.
3. Use What Every Child Needs to Know by Hirsch as a reader/read-aloud to cover science topics and do what we want for the rest of the year.
4. Use curricula products that use living books and do nature study how we want separately.
Examples of living books I want to use:
– Seed-babies by Margaret Warner Morley (see at: http://books.google.com/books?id=_60XAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=seed-babies&ei=Tq3KR9PKLYTCyQSQxdGnCQ)
– Among the _____ People by Clara Dillingham Pierson (at Yesterday’s Classics)
– The Story Book of Science and other books by Jean Henri Fabre
– The Fairy-Land of Science by Arabella Buckley
– Madam How and Lady Why; Or First Lessons in Earth Lore for Children
by Charles Kingsley
– Citizen Bird: Scenes from Bird-life in Plain English for Beginners by Mabel Osgood Wright
Please help me shed the WTM way of thinking that I’ve had for two years! These books have scientific terms and I think they will open up a whole new world to my children beyond the short focus of children’s science literature books of today.
Can I provide a “book basket” for my children to read from that covers the scope & sequence of state/national standards- books like Seymour Simon and the like and just read these older living books with nature study without somehow ruining my children’s academic future in science in case that’s what God is calling them to??? Lol, sigh.
I know there is not a “right” answer, I guess I just need some encouragement or better yet, someone who has done this with good results to assure me!
I hope someone can provide some input, thank you.
Jessica