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Has anyone used the Exploring Creation Land Animals of the Sixth Day Notebooking Journal? Wondering if I should get it or not? It looks neat, but don't want to get it unnecessarily. Thanks!

Carrie has the dc do their own notebooking pages that won't really fit with the journal. I have really found that my ds remembers it better if he designs his own page. I also like seeing how he interprets the directions. I think I remember that on many pages they write a scripture verse at the top of the notebooking page and then draw something below that.

Ok, thanks.

LynnH did a great job of answering already, so I'll just second that my ds really enjoyed the process of making his own notebooking pages too! CTC's directions provide clear guidance without pigeon-holing dc's natural creativity. I like how every child's notebooking pages look different, but still show what they've learned. I can't wait to see how my second ds's pages look different from my first son's, as we are getting ready soon to do CTC with him now. I thought it might be fun to see some of the pages they make. If you click on this link to the CTC Photobook, page 48 on up includes science pictures...
http://heartofdakotasphotobooks.shutterfly.com/31

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie

Thank you, Julie! One more question. My understanding through the Apologia catalog is that Land Animals is a full year of Science, but someone said somewhere that it is only planned for 14 weeks in CTC. How does that work?

faith0428 wrote:... it is only planned for 14 weeks in CTC. How does that work?

Yes, this is correct! "Land Animals..." is not the only book used in CTC's science. These other living books round out the life science/biology year...
Plant Life in Field and Garden
Birds of the Air
Exploring the History of Medicine
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine
An Illustrated Adventure in Human Anatomy

Whenever possible, HOD tries to have science tie-ins to history, as you can see reflected by some of the book choices here. Here is an excerpt from CTC's Introduction that explains this so well...
While students read about God creating the world in history, they learn about God’s
vast animal kingdom in science. While studying God’s plan for human life in
ancient history, they study God’s plan for bird and plant life in nature. While
learning about the history of Rome, they learn about Galen, a doctor of the Roman
Empire. While studying ancient people’s advances in peace, law, and order they
biographically study people’s advances in medicine. Studying science in this
manner allows for natural connections to be made between the two areas.

My ds and I enjoyed these connections, and I loved hearing Wyatt say things like, "Hey, we just read about Rome and Galen was a doctor in the Roman Empire!", etc. I didn't draw out these connections for him, but he took joy in making them on his own. Also, HOD loves living books, and a variety of them gives a fresh feeling to science all year long. Likewise, there is great variety and balance within the rotation of skills taught in science, following this rotation...
Day 1: create a science notebook entry
Day 2: practice oral narration by retelling the science reading
Day 3: write answers to five provided questions based on the science reading –
including scientific terms and Biblical application
Day 4: conduct an experiment related to the reading and log it in a science
notebook or on a copy of the “Science Lab Sheet” found in the Appendix

We love our year of science in CTC! I think you will find that it is a blessing to have more than 1 book to use throughout the year, as well as a joy to use different assessments. I hope you have a great year with all of CTC - including the science - and we'll have to share it here together, as I get to do it again with my middle ds soon. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

That helps in regards to how all the science ties in together. I guess I am confused on how a book that is a years worth of science can be done in 14 weeks. Is the entire book covered?

Yes, the entire book is covered. It doesn't feel rushed either-frankly, I wonder how it could be stretched out to fill a whole year...unless perhaps the writers of the book plan for a family to use it only once or twice a week. The way it is used in CTC, the child has readings from it daily (4 days a week), and alternates between giving an oral narration, doing a notebooking page, answering some written questions on lined paper, and doing a science experiment (including making a lab page for it). The coverage this way is very thorough-and my dd enjoyed it immensely.

I agree with Lourdes that it didn't seem rushed at all. I taught the Astronomy book in co-op and we ended up making it only a semester course because otherwise it would have been really dragging it out. I can see if you are only doing science 2 days a week that you could stretch the Land Animals book out to a year, but I think my ds would have been very tired of it by then. 14 weeks seemed like the perfect amount of time. He then moved on to the "Birds of the Air" book where he made his own bird notebook. He loved this book and it gave him a real love for birds and birding that continues today, almost 2 years later. I felt like the CTC science gave such a nice overall coverage of Life Science. It set the foundations for Biology in the high school years.

Thank you so much, ladies, for your help. It makes much more sense now!