SCM science books

I’m looking ahead to next year and have some questions about science.  I’ve already purchased CGC and am planning to take a couple years going through it and add in some living books.  Next year I really want to focus on nature study (trees, insects, birds, etc.).  I was thinking of having a different area to study each month (saving planets, weather, and anatomy for the winter months).  

I’m also looking into Jack’s Insects and Outdoor Secrets, but have a few questions.  My older two will be in 6th and 4th so Jack’s Insects should be a good fit age-wise.  My younger two will be 6 and 4 and would be in the Outdoor Secrets range.  Here are my questions:

1.  Is it do-able to use both programs at the same time?  

2.  How long would each program take to complete…Could we finish them in a term?  

3.  How important is it to have a color copy of the notebook pages for Jack’s Insects?  We have a B&W laser printer, and I noticed some of the sample pages are in color.  If it’s just a few, I can hook up my old inkjet printer (it probably needs a new cartitridge though).