I planned to buy 106 days but have put it off because I am trying to figure out if I do it this year, what will I do for next year? The children are 6 and 4. Should I stretch it out for two years? Should I repeat it? Should I do something different for year 1, and then do it next year?
I definitely recommend waiting at least a year, maybe 2 or 3; so your youngest will be 6 and older 8. Instead read living nature books to them. They are young for an organized curriculum, IMO, but perfect for lots of living books about G-d’s Creation.
Age appropriate books from Master Books, Answers in Genesis, Yesterday’s Classics (the Pierson books under ‘Nature’ tab), for the 6 yr., the Christian Liberty Nature Reader and other living and fact based books about creatures, plants, etc, are perfect for them. Your older can start a Nature Journal this year, if your 4 yr. old does then that’s great, too as well as teaching your 6 yr. old how to use aN ID guide. The Peterson First guides and Golden Books guides are real good. It’s the great time to just enjoy instilling in them the love of G-d’s Creation, the wonder of it all and essential Observation skills.
Two other sources that just came to mind are The Backyard Scientist books, where they have several that are for as young as 2 and 4 yr. olds (http://www.backyardscientist.com) and could probably be found at the library; and at Queen Homeschool. While you wait, the older can start the Apologia books and/or G-d’s Design series at 7. My son loves the Apologia books. He uses them as personal reads, though and not ‘school’ (unbeknownst to him, it is school!)
Thanks for your wisdom. I had been wondering the same thing. I will have a 6 and almost 4 year old when we were planning on starting in January. Nature readers, journals, CLP 1, James Herriot’s Treasury for Children; that kind of thing?
Thanks Rachel for your input, I looked at the Backyard Scientist books, and they look great. My husband was thinking of doing one Saturday a month as “Science Saturday” and do some kind of experiments with the kids. The BYS looks like a good place to start with that. You mentioned Apologia, and I did get one for my oldest daughter (15) and like it alot, but thought that they only had books for upper elementary. I will have to look into that. So the lessons would be too advanced for a 6 yro, or because of my 4 yro do you suggest to wait? Thanks Misti
Thanks for asking the question, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do too. I think I’m going to wait on 106 for a year or two and get proficient at our nature notebooks, use living science books (CLP 1, James Herriot, Burgess Bird Book, that kind of thing) and take our rabbit trails from there. I’m so new that I think there are basics we need to master first. I might actually stretch it out like you were suggesting also.
Yes, the ones you mentioned, Cindie. Plus, may I add that the living books from Yesterday’s Classics are available free at the Baldwin Online Children’s Project. Also, the Answers in Genesis and Master Books are grounded in Creation Science, and I don’t know about ya’ll, but I wasn’t raised knowing the Truth of Creationism (my mom believes a Progressive Evolution, that G-d used evolution to create,blah blah…), so these books have been very necessary for early foundational teachings, answering questions I don’t know the ansers to! I find them used, either at the book strore or on Amazon.
The Burgess Animal book is online as an audio book, for those days that you’re in the car or too busy to read like you’d like, at Librivox.
The Apologia has an entrire Elementary selection. You can see them all at Jeannie Fulbright’s site; I buy them either used at Amazon or from Christianbook, as they are cheaper that way. I said 7, because I know my son was 7 when he received the Exploring Creation with Astronomy and it seemed perfect. He reads and does the projects all on his own, so I don’t do any reading aloud. If your interested in reading aloud and taking an active role in the projects, then I assume 6 would be fine, but I don’t know your child’s level.
May I also recommend Jim Arnosky for your older ones, either now at 6 or over the next few years. The illustrations are wonderful and the info. is excellent. My children liked them starting at 7, because there is a lot of info. on one page.
Remember field trips, too! Sonya’s “Hours in the Out of Doors” might be something that you may benefit reading from, also Karen Andreola’s “The Charlotte MAson Companion” is so inspirational in this area. Again, can be found at the library.
HTH,
Rachel
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