heartofdakota.com

I'm strongly considering purchasing Creation to Christ for my 3 oldest children this coming year (grades 5, 6, and 7). My hesitations mostly center around the science portion of the study. In the past few years, we've used Apologia science and have absolutely loved it. In the past, I've purchased the corresponding notebooks and lab kits and it has all worked together to make science come alive for our family (which is quite a feat considering how much none of us loved science before!). What I'm specifically wondering is if the Creation study utilizes the Apologia Zoology 3 textbook enough to make buying the student notebooks and lab kit worth it; and if not, how little is the Apologia book actually used?

Hopefully that question makes sense. Sorry in advance if it's as clear as mud!

The apologia books is read in full during the first 14 weeks. The kids read one chapter per week. Then, the other books are scheduled.

If it were me, I would not buy the apologia notebook. Every week Carrie schedules a notebooking page, a day for oral narration, a day with answering written questions, and then a day with an experiment. Sometimes the experiments align with the text and sometimes they don't. For me, I am much happier following the plans and my children have a beautiful science notebook they completed that covers all the material they learned during the year and it is something they completed on their very own. I also just have a large binder that I keep for each child. So for everything they did this year, I just placed it in the binder day by day. But if you wanted to have a notebook that they create, getting a blank drawing notebook like for art. And then you could divide it up for notebooking, questions and experiments. Every year I go back and forth on doing this but have been happy keeping everything in a large binder so far.

I am doing CTC with my oldest 2. I DID order the notebooks and lab kits. We have enjoyed using them. (especially the owl pellet dissection!)

The science in CTC is outstanding as it is written! The reason HOD does not recommend the notebook and lab accompanying "Land Animals..." is threefold. First, more Charlotte Mason living books are used (with Land Animals only being used the first 14 weeks), thus increasing the amount of what is taught as well as the amount of what is read throughout the year...

• Land Animals of the Sixth Day by Jeannie K. Fulbright
• Birds of the Air by Arabella B. Buckley
• Plant Life in Field and Garden by Arabella B. Buckley
• Exploring the History of Medicine by John Hudson Tiner
• Galen and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeannne Bendick
• An Illustrated Adventure in Human Anatomy by Kate Sweeney

Second, the pacing of HOD “Science Exploration” topics correspond whenever possible with the general history topics being studied in the “Learning Through History” part of the plans. The introduction provides this good explanation of this very CM like focus...
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.

Third, each HOD unit already includes the following science activities in coordination with the read-aloud assignments:
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

As far as resources, the students need a place to store their notebook entries, written answers, and science experiment results. Use either a 3-ring binder with plastic page protectors, or a bound sketchbook with unlined pages for the notebook assignments and science experiment results. An optional “Science Lab Sheet” is provided in the Appendix and may be reproduced for students to log their science experiment results. Use lined paper for the written answers on Day 3.

Students also make a book of animal tracks, bird sketches, and plant sketches as part of their notebook assignments. As directed in the plans, students may either make 3 separate booklets, or use a hardbound nature journal for this purpose. Our sons loved these varied assignments! You can see pictures families sent in of their dc doing CTC science in the CTC photo book at this link (especially pages 46-57)...
https://heartofdakotasphotobooks.shutterfly.com/45

Carrie has planned these activities with a careful balance in mind! CTC's science has a CM feel to it, dc are immersed in living books and become adept at giving oral narrations upon what they read. Notebooking assignments utilize the scientific method and teach dc to complete step-by-step assignments following particular procedures. Experiments are completed, and STUDENTS are the ones actively doing the experiments because the directions are written directly to them in multiple steps that they must follow by using their CTC guide. Finally, scientific vocabulary and comprehension questions are skills that are taught each week as well. As we complete standardized testing this week, I am amazed at how well HOD's science has prepared our dc! They are strong readers and narrators, they understand the steps of the scientific process/method, they have a well-rounded vocabulary in science (in all subject areas, really), and they can answer comprehension questions knowledgeably. All of this is the result of us simply enjoying the science HOD has written through the years. For these reasons, I'd encourage you to enjoy CTC's science as it was intended to be done! Extras often mean things are skipped, and when things are skipped, skills are skipped, and dc are not prepared for the next guide (nor for standardized testing should you happen to skip skills needed in preparation for that). HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

This all helps immensely. Thanks SO much for the wonderful replies. It sounds like the student notebooks that HOD sells include enough science input to scratch that itch I have for notebooking our studies!

I'm leaning toward still purchasing the lab kit. Are all the projects/experiments included in the Creation plan, or would I be fitting them in additionally? (I ask because we will already be a bit cramped since we don't do our regular school day on Fridays, due to participation in a homeschool support group that we love, and I don't necessarily want to add one more additional thing to our week.)

The guide includes a weekly science experiment. We did not buy the kit at all and my dd learned SO much without it. Plus, every week Carrie schedules either the experiment in the book or something different. The experiments that Carrie schedules are always awesome! So if she skips the experiment in the book, it is usually because she has a better one planned.

Also - HOD doesn't sell a student notebook. You actually take blank sheets of paper and create one. So, if you want something bound, then you would want to get a blank art book for drawing. I personally keep a binder with all of my kids stuff in it. So I just give my dd a sheet of paper for each day that she has an activity to complete. For day 1, she does notebooking. In the guide, it instructs the kids to make a track notebook. We used this for tracks with the Zoology books, birds with the bird book and then plants with the plant book. Then, each week they answer questions along with defining 2 words on day 3. For this, she uses a piece of lined notebook paper. On day 4, she does a science experiment. In the back of the guide there is a science experiment write up sheet. I made 35 copies of that and she fills one out each week. For me, this works great. I just keep these pages on hand and she fills out what she needs to according to the plans. It makes a beautiful keepsake at the end of the year.