I’m laughing at your commentary about how you don’t prefer to do the experiments. I’m with you. BUT….my kids LOVE experiments and when we quit classical conversations last year. And I asked them what’s ONE thing they want to make sure we do in our “new” homeschool….all three said more science experiments. What’s a mom to do?!?! In this case, I sacrificed my own preferences for them and I hope someday they appreciate that I went (and go) out of my comfort zone for their learning enjoyment. 😜😜😜 my kids love TGTB but to my surprise this year, we are taking our sweet time getting through it. Science is everywhere! And there’s so much exploring on a single topic you can do! You’re right about the extension activities. A lot of it was doing extra research. Probably ok for 7th grade and maybe 8th grade look into a high school science. That’s one thing I wish I would’ve explored more
You're one good mama! The things we do for our kids! I'm currently in the stage of admiring all the insects...never knew how many close inspections of bugs were involved in parenting! lol!
@@SevenInAll yes!!! 😜 bug inspections are great activities!! Idea for you if you’re brave enough. The other day at our co-op, they went on a “bug crawl” and collected as many different bugs and nature creatures (including frogs and such) in 20 minutes. Put them in jars to observe before letting them go again. It was amazing how many different things they came up with!! Do we often ponder just HOW MANY unique creatures God specifically designed with such detail, all for a specific purpose…and he knows every one of his creations. Nature itself screams there is a God! ❤️
I'm always so excited when I see your comparison videos come up. Thank you so much for doing these. I really appreciate them. The variety is wonderful (and sometimes a little overwhelming) when making decisions.
Caris and I love Apologia! It’s our 4th year using it. Doing anatomy this year and loving it. We do use the note booking journey and love the projects and experiments, solidifies everything we learned. Loved the flip throughs of these other companies’ curriculum.
We do science most days but we may not finish a lesson in a day. We don’t use sonlight but my kids have been reading and then doing experiments from what they are reading. I pre read the books so I can add experiments. We only did nature walks and play based science learning. We love TGTB science units and we link them to other topics including elements, we’ve levelled it up for my oldest who is in middle school. I knew my 10 year twins where more advanced in science so they joined in the middle school work. We’ve also used gather round for other science units.
I'm loving Blossom & Root science. It's secular and it's not open and go, but it is very flexible and very well organized. You're given different options to teach each week, from books , videos, crafts, and lab work, and you can make the lesson as short or as long as you want.
"Some homeschoolers try to run away when they see a textbook coming..." This made me laugh because I'm not scared of textbooks either. I like how straightforward they are; I can't stand wordy and/or dramatic discussions. 😄
I like these comparison videos! I would be interested in seeing some for other subjects. And my favorite science in highschool was anatomy lol. I made me want to be pre-med in college.
Where did you find the Julia rothman one in spanish? Im hoping to find it in French ;) if you know whwre to get it please share ;) its hard to find french books here in the US..
I haven't seen any French editions. I bought the Spanish version from Book Depository, which has free worldwide shipping. I don't live in the US, so for getting books in Spanish, I've just researched and experimented to figure out which sites have the best selection for Spanish books, and then I always make sure to check those sites when I'm looking for something.
I have struggled every year with science and have not found a curriculum we've enjoyed. I think it's because we have such a range 6th to preschool. My little elementary don't have the attention span for journaling, and my big kids get bored with simplistic experiments or explanations. 🤦♀️
Yes, I think family-style science really only works well when you have a relatively small age gap. Since I was the oldest kid, I was the first one doing my "own" science and history, since something that was a good fit for my younger siblings wasn't a good fit for me. One option is to split the family in two, and pick one science for the younger kids and one for the older kids, so still grouping kids together and not going 5 different ways for science, but also being able to get a more appropriate level for their ages and abilities.
Hi, what would you recommend between the Apologia and Abeka? I like Apologia, the experiments, the way the questions are and the notebooking, but I also like the fact that Abeka has multiple topics in one year…it keeps it interesting. Is it possible to do the Abeka science, expand on lessons as kids have interest, while using the Apologia notebooks?😬
Between those two, I would personally pick Apologia. Abeka is a "general earth science" pretty much every year from 1st-8th grade, which means you learn about the same things every year, with a little more detail and challenge added in every year. It gets very repetitive when used every year--which definitely works well for many families, but I wouldn't personally choose it.
I have 1 fixing ti start highschool and have worries about history and science classes due to him giing to college. I feel he may need secular science. Currently we are using apologia astronomy and he loves it. Thoughts on highschool science and history?
Apologia has a high school series that they offer--our family has done Apologia and Sonlight for all of our high school graduates so far (six graduates, one high schooler currently taking chemistry), and all six graduates have gone on to college and had no issues with college science classes. Granted, most of us haven't gone into science-specific fields. I have a couple of cousins who were homeschooled through graduation and they were planning to go into science fields. My aunt didn't find Apologia to be what they needed and wanted. I cannot remember which textbooks she used specifically, but I know she was purposely seeking out a very rigorous science approach because of her kids' goals.
My mom has really liked Apologia for upper elementary years....as far as what I'm actually planning to do first, for my boys' first science, next year, is Gentle + Classical Nature, I think it's the most kindergarten-friendly. I am very, very drawn to Sonlight, because I like their style--Sonlight science was what I actually used a lot as a kid. I'm not 100% sure yet what I'll use once we're past Gentle + Classical Nature.
What's your favorite branch of science to teach? Comment below! My least favorite is Anatomy...Chemistry is probably my favorite.
Very helpful video! Thank you for all the details in explaining each of these different science curriculums.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
This was incredibly helpful. I love when you do videos like this--comparing multiple companies/curriculums indepth. 💕💕
Thank you! I've been trying to build up this "series" because I know how helpful it is to me to see different options side-by-side.
I’m laughing at your commentary about how you don’t prefer to do the experiments. I’m with you. BUT….my kids LOVE experiments and when we quit classical conversations last year. And I asked them what’s ONE thing they want to make sure we do in our “new” homeschool….all three said more science experiments. What’s a mom to do?!?! In this case, I sacrificed my own preferences for them and I hope someday they appreciate that I went (and go) out of my comfort zone for their learning enjoyment. 😜😜😜 my kids love TGTB but to my surprise this year, we are taking our sweet time getting through it. Science is everywhere! And there’s so much exploring on a single topic you can do!
You’re right about the extension activities. A lot of it was doing extra research. Probably ok for 7th grade and maybe 8th grade look into a high school science. That’s one thing I wish I would’ve explored more
You're one good mama! The things we do for our kids! I'm currently in the stage of admiring all the insects...never knew how many close inspections of bugs were involved in parenting! lol!
@@SevenInAll yes!!! 😜 bug inspections are great activities!! Idea for you if you’re brave enough. The other day at our co-op, they went on a “bug crawl” and collected as many different bugs and nature creatures (including frogs and such) in 20 minutes. Put them in jars to observe before letting them go again. It was amazing how many different things they came up with!! Do we often ponder just HOW MANY unique creatures God specifically designed with such detail, all for a specific purpose…and he knows every one of his creations. Nature itself screams there is a God! ❤️
Thank you for sharing! Your explanation about how each curriculum is used is really helpful for me.
Glad it was helpful!
I'm always so excited when I see your comparison videos come up. Thank you so much for doing these. I really appreciate them. The variety is wonderful (and sometimes a little overwhelming) when making decisions.
Caris and I love Apologia! It’s our 4th year using it. Doing anatomy this year and loving it. We do use the note booking journey and love the projects and experiments, solidifies everything we learned. Loved the flip throughs of these other companies’ curriculum.
Apologia is the science curriculum we've used more than any other. I used Apologia straight through high school myself and really enjoyed it!
Very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
We love gentle and classical nature just right for my preschoolers.
Also like that it grows with my kids.
I'm really looking forward to using that one with my boys!
We do science most days but we may not finish a lesson in a day. We don’t use sonlight but my kids have been reading and then doing experiments from what they are reading. I pre read the books so I can add experiments. We only did nature walks and play based science learning. We love TGTB science units and we link them to other topics including elements, we’ve levelled it up for my oldest who is in middle school. I knew my 10 year twins where more advanced in science so they joined in the middle school work. We’ve also used gather round for other science units.
Sounds like your family really enjoys science!
I'm loving Blossom & Root science. It's secular and it's not open and go, but it is very flexible and very well organized. You're given different options to teach each week, from books , videos, crafts, and lab work, and you can make the lesson as short or as long as you want.
That's one I haven't tried so far! Thanks for sharing!
Great video
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
We will be using the Chemistry and Physics book with the Guest Hollow for elementary students in a few years. Excited to do it!
Sounds like fun! Science is such a cool field.
Which Apologia course would you recommend for 5th and 7th grade combined?
I would lean toward their Anatomy or their Physics and Chemistry for those grade levels.
Great curriculum choices to teach science. Great review!!
Thanks!
The Apologia textbook when you were going over it. I bet Kyra would like to do some of the experiments
"Some homeschoolers try to run away when they see a textbook coming..." This made me laugh because I'm not scared of textbooks either. I like how straightforward they are; I can't stand wordy and/or dramatic discussions. 😄
haha, yes, textbooks can definitely be a bit of a divisive topic for homeschoolers. I learn very well from the textbook style, so I appreciate them!
I actually love textbooks!!
I like these comparison videos! I would be interested in seeing some for other subjects. And my favorite science in highschool was anatomy lol. I made me want to be pre-med in college.
Thanks! I've made a handful of comparison videos because I also find it helpful to see different approaches and curriculums side-by-side.
Where did you find the Julia rothman one in spanish? Im hoping to find it in French ;) if you know whwre to get it please share ;) its hard to find french books here in the US..
I haven't seen any French editions. I bought the Spanish version from Book Depository, which has free worldwide shipping. I don't live in the US, so for getting books in Spanish, I've just researched and experimented to figure out which sites have the best selection for Spanish books, and then I always make sure to check those sites when I'm looking for something.
I have struggled every year with science and have not found a curriculum we've enjoyed. I think it's because we have such a range 6th to preschool. My little elementary don't have the attention span for journaling, and my big kids get bored with simplistic experiments or explanations. 🤦♀️
Yes, I think family-style science really only works well when you have a relatively small age gap. Since I was the oldest kid, I was the first one doing my "own" science and history, since something that was a good fit for my younger siblings wasn't a good fit for me. One option is to split the family in two, and pick one science for the younger kids and one for the older kids, so still grouping kids together and not going 5 different ways for science, but also being able to get a more appropriate level for their ages and abilities.
Hi, what would you recommend between the Apologia and Abeka? I like Apologia, the experiments, the way the questions are and the notebooking, but I also like the fact that Abeka has multiple topics in one year…it keeps it interesting. Is it possible to do the Abeka science, expand on lessons as kids have interest, while using the Apologia notebooks?😬
Between those two, I would personally pick Apologia. Abeka is a "general earth science" pretty much every year from 1st-8th grade, which means you learn about the same things every year, with a little more detail and challenge added in every year. It gets very repetitive when used every year--which definitely works well for many families, but I wouldn't personally choose it.
I have 1 fixing ti start highschool and have worries about history and science classes due to him giing to college. I feel he may need secular science. Currently we are using apologia astronomy and he loves it.
Thoughts on highschool science and history?
Apologia has a high school series that they offer--our family has done Apologia and Sonlight for all of our high school graduates so far (six graduates, one high schooler currently taking chemistry), and all six graduates have gone on to college and had no issues with college science classes. Granted, most of us haven't gone into science-specific fields. I have a couple of cousins who were homeschooled through graduation and they were planning to go into science fields. My aunt didn't find Apologia to be what they needed and wanted. I cannot remember which textbooks she used specifically, but I know she was purposely seeking out a very rigorous science approach because of her kids' goals.
Very interesting. Nice vlog👍
Which one do you like the most?
My mom has really liked Apologia for upper elementary years....as far as what I'm actually planning to do first, for my boys' first science, next year, is Gentle + Classical Nature, I think it's the most kindergarten-friendly. I am very, very drawn to Sonlight, because I like their style--Sonlight science was what I actually used a lot as a kid. I'm not 100% sure yet what I'll use once we're past Gentle + Classical Nature.