I have the Parables from Nature book in the series- planning on using it for my 8th grade DD next year. I really like it and I think it will be a good fit for her. The lessons are nicely done, quite openended so the older the child the more you could expect from him/her. I especially like the unit on the sea creatures and the writing ideas they have chosen to go along with the chapter. I am happy to flip through and critique it for you if you have specific questions. I know my friend Tanya who was on this board was planning to use Marys Meadow with her dd last year- not sure how that went but I can find out 🙂 I plan to use it on our nature study days when we can’t get out and about due to weather etc.
Thank you Heidi. So I am assuming that this is just a living book, no experiments or scientific procedures taught?
I am all set to do Apologia General Science this year, even though it looks so overwhelming to me. But I want my 13 ds to get a grasp on the details of science procedures and vocabulary before venturing into high school. I’m trying to not second guess this curriculum choice until we have at least done it for a few months. But I saw this series and just wondered. 🙂
I’ve chosen to use the Parables of Nature one with my 7th grader instead of Apologia General Science (which I consider to be very dry). I’ve decided to read lots of science books as well to satisfy my question about knowing the terms and things like you were talking about. I’ve picked books like Exploring the World of Chemistry (and Biology, and others), Apologia Botany, etc. I feel confident that this is more than adequate.
I am planning on her science curriculum and the Nature studies- to me they are two seperate things 🙂 Apologia seems to be the way most folks are going, but it never clicked with any of mine. We used Real Science 4 kids and Noeo over the last couple of years. Noeo set her up well for the scientific method and how to write up an experiment plus had lots of lovely books. Next year she is going to a co-op class where they will be using Rainbow science and I will do the Queens NS with her. I think the Parables from Nature is a good one for a boy, there is lots to choose from. It includes the whole text from Parables which was written over a hundred years ago I believe. After each chapter which you can read aloud or have him read, there are several options for projects, research questions, drawing pages etc..For example, after reading about cats and how they purr the lessons are, Write an explanation of how cats purr. Next is Draw a cat( my dd doesn’t like drawing so computer images will be fine for her) Next is List 5 similarities between domestic and wild cats, then five differences, then they write a report on cats including information on domestic and wild cats, big cats, and their hunting habits. Here is where research and reading extra books come in. For the high school level, I just expect more than I would from a 5th grader, but the topic can stay the same. I like it, I just wouldn’t replace a science for it..
We’re using A Nature Walk with Aunt Bessie with my 8 and 6 year old girls and it’s a hit here. Some of the research is too hefty for my girls’ ages, but we pick and choose lessons and the story is delightful. I wish the quality were a bit better, but I do still love Queen and their ministry. 🙂