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Rainbow science
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We bought the book used b/c of the rave reviews I had read. My son looked it over after doing a lot of Apologia and thought it did not go into very much depth.
So there, you now have an 12 year old’s opinion!
But he is the science guy in our home!:-)
JFG
I’ve never seen it myself, but it is very, very expensive and I have heard on my college-bound homeschoolers group that it is not nearly as comprehensive as Apologia. The secular homeschoolers like it much better, though–they say the Christianity is much less “intrusive”.
Thanks JFG. Thanks Bookworm! That seems to be the what I am finding. I am amazed that apologia seems to be the only really good college prep course for high school out there. I guess thar its what I will use for my 10 th grader. Do you think there is anything wrong with pulling together an intro to chemistry course using living books along with john tiners book for my 7th grader instead of the apologia general science that is normally recommended for 7th. He would really like to do chemistry this year.
No, that should be fine for 7th. I’d find a simple at-home chem activities/experiments book too. OR look at God’s Design for Chemistry–my 6th grader just did that. Do you want my Chem living books list?
I do!
And IS there anything other than Apologia for high school college-bound students? I’ve searched the internet and read these forums and there doesn’t seem to be anything that compares….but maybe I’ve missed something.
The Mystery of the Periodic Table, Benjamin Wiker, if it hasn’t already been read
The Disappearning Spoon, Sam Kean
Any of a number of books by Jon Emsley: The 13th Element (some mature content in this one–caution for younger kids–pm me for details if you get it) Molecules at an Exhibition; Nature’s Building Blocks, an A to Z Guide to the Elements
University of Nottingham –The Periodic Table of Videos (on the internet–don’t miss!)
That’s The Way the Cookie Crumbles, Joe Schwarz
crazy4boys, there is nothing Christian and aimed at homeschoolers that compares with Apologia. It’s just the way it is. It’s a good course!!!!! It is NOT The Kiss of Death. For a textbook, it’s really pretty good. It won’t kill anyone, it’ll get the job done as painlessly as possible, and it’s OK. 🙂 You can choose non-Christian, and aimed at public schools, or you can choose dumbed-down-to-make-it-easy, but there really isn’t a good substitute.
I don’t have a problem using Apologia. In fact, I went to a local used homeschool sale last week and scooped up several to use in high school. I feel like I’ve researched it ad nauseum and it really is the best out there. I was just wondering if there is anything I hadn’t considered and should.
We LOVE the Periodic Table of Elements videos. Even my little guys will choose to watch these for fun.
Bookworm- when you used God’s design for chemistry did you do the tests that went along with it or did you use narration? Also I was thinking of adding in living science books along the way. Did you do this? Is it necessary? Would it help with subject matter retention? My thinking is that it would. And would it be fairly easy to incorporate in to the schedule? I am so excited because I have found another subject I can combine most of my kids together! Yay!
Thanks for your help!
Hi, binky! I occasionally did the tests or quizzes, (we never really CALLLED them that) in a lighthearted way, and with younger children, orally. But we mostly used narration. YES, add in living books. In fact, scoop up stuff at the library and let them look through it. Mystery of the Periodic Table is an especially good one, it can appeal to a wide age group.
Sounds good! Thanks for all the help! I may have more questions as I start implementing everything 🙂
Since we have discussed apologia here…I went online today and read the sample of module one of the chemistry and it was not a bad read and seemed very thorough. I am going to go ahead and use it for my 10th grader. The microchem lab seems very expensive. Does anyone know how it compares to what apologia offers?
We do both sets of labs. The Microchem is high (don’t look at the physics set if you want to avoid heart failure!) but the labs are very, very thorough and all the little bits of chemicals are included. Plus they give you support if you have trouble (yes, I’ve used that!) The labs are more like the ones we did in high school than are the ones in the Apologia book, which seem simpler and he sort of tells you what is probably going to happen, you do the lab and confirm that it does, and you’re done. The Microchem labs are more like teaching you general principles, you do an investigation, and you do lots of calculations, write up your results and then see why your conclusion was that way. We like them much better. But I do understand the $$ issue!
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