Science in HOD guides

[exodus007]

Hi,
I am new to this board . I have researched curriculums for over 6 months now and I feel HOD is the best one for my family. I am very impressed with the guides and the reviews I read .

However , I was wondering if the science part of HOD is "meaty" enough especially that our family is on the science side
I have a degree in biology &chemistry and my kids seem more interested in science than history as well .Most Christian curriculums here in the US focus a lot on history though . I am from France where the schools put more emphasis on math and science than history . I own a lot of books , living & textbooks. My problem is to implement them without a guide . We sort of unschooled science until now , reading a lot of living books and doing many experiments but as my dc are getting older , I feel they need a more structured and deeper science . I cannot do it without a schedule or a guide ! I have a toddler and an infant , they keep me so busy that I forget about science .

So for those who are more science people , do you add anything to HOD and what would be a good supplement ? Please recommend something for grades 4-8 . I have apologia astronomy and my dc read it when he was 7 . We would prefer something that has a wider Scope & Sequence , including physics , chemistry , etc Abeka seems to fit this but I was wondering if it would not add too much to our HOD schedule ? I still want my dc to do the science scheduled in HOD and not miss anything
Suggestions?

[Heather4Him]

Hi!! Welcome to the board!!

We are using CTC this year with our almost 13yog (8th grade), and we are not using the science only because we already did those books in the last year or two. So, we are substituting Apologia General Science, and it has been a good fit.

Because we are planning to use HOD all through high school, we are using the Apologia science series (Physical, Biology, Chemistry, etc.) to make our time high school credit-worthy. I think taking into account the ages of your kids will help you decide, too!

[exodus007]

Thanks Heather . Does she do Apologia by herself ? I have looked at the samples before but the experiments seem very simple ... Have to look at it again . I would like my children to be at least as the same level as they are in France. Starting in about 5th-6th grade , the science really gets rigorous over there . I don't see anything as meaty here except maybe BJU or Abeka used 1-2 years ahead, but looking at the textbooks , they seem so boring ( so they are in France ) .

I really like the packages in CTC and RTR but I was wondering if they are enough to prepare the kids for SAT or state tests which we are required to do .

My oldest is only 8 but he is a real science guy already .He has a thirst of learning . He loves to read biographies and tries to invent all kind of things . However my toddler and baby make my life so busy that we barely have time for the three Rs . I am hoping I will have more structure with HOD but my big question is with what I can supplement the science ...

[Heather4Him]

She mostly does the science independently, but I am there to help/supervise as needed for the experiments, and I will administer the tests when they come up, etc.

She did several of the elementary Apologia science courses before this (Astronomy, Botany, Zoology 2 and 3, etc.), and I worked with her on the first few (in grades 5-6, but last year she did most of the Zoology on her own). They are written to the student, so that helps!

[Carrie]

exodus007,

I just wanted to welcome you! We're glad to have you here! Here's a link about HOD's science that may be very helpful for you as you ponder what we have to offer:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2094&p=18408

I also just wanted to mention that since this is the HOD Board, we stick to discussing the science that HOD offers, rather than suggesting supplements or replacements from other companies. If you do happen to have a child who is older than the target age range for an HOD guide you may be using, then it certainly makes sense to use a different science to make it high school credit worthy. Since we do not yet offer high school, you may see some discussion of high-school level science on this board. While you can easily use a different science, if that is your preference, if you have questions about other science options from what we have to offer, then it's good to ask those on those publisher's boards rather than on ours.

However, we'll be thrilled to discuss HOD's science with you, and I'm sure more moms will be along to do so.

Blessings,
Carrie

[exodus007]

Thank you Carrie for your reply and link ! First I want to apologize for discussing other science options , I was not aware that there is a restriction about that

My son is only 8 but I am considering HOD for the future school years so naturally I wonder about all its components .

[my3sons]

I am thrilled with the science in HOD! I think this thread may help as you discover more about HOD science:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5797&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

I have done HOD's science from the start and enjoyed it so much. My dc are avid about the outdoors, and anything scientific is exciting to them. They both LOVE HOD's science. The living books are so much more interesting than textbooks. The biographies show how scientists are problem solvers, constantly trying to answer questions and find out why things work the way they do. The experiments put my kids in the scientist's shoes, as they themselves do the experiments rather than watching me do them and tell them what they should have learned. The focus on the scientific method keeps the process of science labs fresh in their minds. The oral narrations help them build CM skills, as well as retain the information better. The comprehension questions help them use their living science books as research materials. The tie-ins between history and science help them better remember what they have learned. The science notebooking teaches them to draw, label, chronicle, explain scientific concepts in many different visually appealing ways. Finally, and most importantly, God is seen as the Creator of everything, and His hand is shown through all of science. My dc have scored very high in science on their standardized tests, but the fact that HOD has kept God at the center of everything - including science - is really what has me sold on it.

In Christ,
Julie