I don't think that it is any secret that Science is not one of our strong subjects. You would think that it might be. After all, when I was younger I either wanted to be a forest ranger or a zoo keeper. I remember getting my brother's set of World Book Encyclopedia and looking up all that I could about trees. Also, growing up on a small farm gave me a lot of experience with farm animals. However, alas, the science interests from my youth didn't carry over to my homeschool teaching. So, I am always excited to review any science curriculum that I can. We have reviewed some good ones this year and Introductory Science form Science Shepherd is one of the best if not THE best.
Introductory Scienceis a video based program for ages 6-11 and also has a workbook component that is to be used along with the watching the videos. There are two workbooks to choose from. Level A is for 6-8 year olds and Level B is for 9-11 year olds. I would recommend looking at the samples on the Science Shepherd website to decide which workbook to choose. We chose Level B and my very reading challenged 10 year old is doing fine with it so really the level depends on the child and not necessarily the age.
Let me discuss the two main components:
Introductory Science Videos - My kids love the videos because they are short, but there is a lot of information packed into that short timeframe. Each video is usually less than five minutes long. Dr. Scott Hardin, the developer of Homeschool Shepherd is the teacher. The set looks very much like a nightly news setting. As Dr. Hardin teaches in a very pleasant and clear way, pictures and demonstrations of what he is talking about are shown on the screens behind him. And, let me tell you, the lessons are interesting! I often will want to view the next lessons, but only one lesson a day is recommended. There are enough lessons to be used five days a week for 35 weeks but they can be viewed at any pace.
I like this series because it is completely Christian based and homeschool friendly. If you are looking for a secular science program that teaches evolution this is probably not the program for you. The whole study begins with the six days of creation and goes from there. In the 35 week time, the study covers everything from Meteorology to Geology to Oceanography, Plants, Astronomy, Flying Creatures, Land Creatures, Human Beings and more! It is truly a complete Introductory Science program. It is also homeschool friendly. The creators are homeschoolers so they know what homeschoolers like and how much they can do. I really like that.
Introductory Science Workbook - My kids love the workbook as well because it is not full of a bunch of worksheet stuff that just wastes time. There is usually a page or two of questions that cover the material learned in each video along with a puzzle that further reviews the day. Sometimes there is an activity such as a science experiment that usually involves things found around the home or a small research project. At the end of each week there is a fun crossword review. There is an answer key that gives the answers to all of the questions and solutions to the puzzles. It is all super easy to use. Although I have not allowed them to do it yet, I'm sure my kids could use this program independently if I wanted them to.
I am thrilled that we were chosen for this review. It is definitely a keeper for us and we will continue to use it even though the review period is over. To find out more about Introductory Science from Science Shepherd just click on any of the highlighted links above. Other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed other programs from Science Shepherd and you can find what they had to say by clicking on the banner below. Happy Homeschooling!
No comments:
Post a Comment