Elemental Science ~ Earth Science Grammar Stage Review

My children LOVE science. I love science too… when it is simple and uncomplicated. If we end up with science curriculum for our homeschool that leaves me running errands all over town to pick up a long list of items for a project, I… uh… file it. So, each year when it comes time to pick science curriculum for the new homeschool year, I get a little bit anxious. Let’s call it “science stress.”

Need a simple homeschool science curriculum?

Wouldn’t it be awesome to find lessons for homeschool science that have really simple step-by-step guides? Something that tells you exactly what to say and do so that you don’t have to think about it? Something like this…

And, what if you could find a homeschool science curriculum that didn’t require strange ingredients? Something with an easy list of items which you probably already have in your home? Something like this…

Get ready… the angels are about to sing!

Elemental Science offers simple curriculum with step-by-step instructions AND experiments and projects with the stuff you already have at home.

We are so blessed to be able to try Elemental Science’s Earth Science and Astronomy for the Grammar Stage and my children are having a ton of fun! You know what? I am having fun too!

In Lesson One, we learned about the construction of the Earth and created a model of the planet. My kiddos are so funny. They loved mixing the flour, water, and salt, but when it came time to apply the newspaper to the balloon, I heard, “Ewww. Mommy, you do it.” They were running to the bathroom to wash their hands constantly. So, I quickly adapted my plan. I would smooth on the flour mixture and then let them place dry strips of newspaper. Voila! That worked and they loved it.

After we allowed the paper mache to dry overnight, it was time to paint our globe. As they painted, I reminded them about the different layers of the Earth, our place in the solar system, and about the moon. I love being able to teach them while their hands are busy. They seem to listen much more intently and answer my questions quickly.

In addition to the curriculum, the following books are needed:

• Usborne First Encyclopedia of Our World
• Kingfisher’s Young Knowledge Rocks and Fossils
• Janice VanCleave’s Earth Science for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series)
• Usborne First Encyclopedia of Space
• Kingfisher’s Young Knowledge Solar System
• Janice VanCleave’s Astronomy for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series)
• Usborne Spotter’s Guide: The Night Sky
• Who Is Neil Armstrong? (Who Was…?)(only need for 1 week)

These books are considered essential and are needed for 18 weeks but might be available in your local library. (If you struggle to find the recommended books, try requesting them through Paperback Swap or contacting your personal Usborne representative.)

I had some difficulty finding the Usborne and Kingfisher’s books, but was able to use an encyclopedia and located Usborne Quicklinks online. I used the pages referenced in the curriculum to find the corresponding recommended links.

We had a BLAST with the different websites, especially the Flash Earth app. We pretended to be astronauts traveling through space as we worked through the game at Magic School Bus and then, once back aboard our rocket ship, we zoomed all the way home using the street-level feature of Google Earth.

What did the children learn about the Earth?

(A video is embeded.)

Just FYI, we did not use milk in our paper mache. LOL

What I love about Elemental Science ~

Aside from the easy lesson plans and simple materials list, other features of the Elemental Science curriculum I love include:

• Narration sheets offer flexibility so that if your child is apprehensive about writing, he can dictate to you what to write and you can glue the corresponding picture in the box. However, if your child has more artistic tendencies, you can allow him to create the picture for the narration on his own.
• A lot of science curriculum leaves you to create the tests by yourself. However, Elemental Science Earth Science Grammar Stage has quizzes available to use each week if you choose to do so.
• If your children struggles to remember facts, poems are included to assist with memorizing.
• If you find yourself struggling, you can always turn to the Elemental Science Yahoo Group set up to assist you in obtaining the full potential from the curriculum as well as giving you access to supplemental materials.
• Elemental Science tries to present a balanced approach to science study so that families seeking a secular education can still use their curriculum. Here is a quote from the author:
  

  In writing this curriculum I ran into two problems with the books available for
  study. The first is Creation vs. Big Bang theory. I believe that God created the Earth, the
  Heavens and everything in it in seven days, but many books teach the Big Bang theory. I
  have endeavored to write each of my curriculums to be religiously neutral, but I find that
  when it come to earth science and astronomy it is nearly impossible, since your religious
  beliefs play into your belief of the origins of the Earth. So beware, depending on your
  beliefs, you may need to explain what you believe and why.

Buy It

Elemental Science has a full range of science curriculum on various topics and for various ages. The Earth Science and Astronomy for the grammar stage is available on their website.

• Teacher’s Guide & Student Workbook (Digital Version) ~ $16.50
• Teacher’s Guide & Student Workbook (Printed Version) ~ $27.48

Win It

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MORE Chances to Win

Tomorrow, stop by Rachel’s blog at Finding Joy to read about her experience with Early Years Curriculum for K4/K5. She’ll be having a giveaway as well. Be sure to visit Christine’s blog review from yesterday to learn more about Lapbooking through Habitats.

Legal Mumbo~Jumbo: No purchase necessary to enter or win. Facebook is in no way affiliated with this giveaway. The winner will be notified by email within 24 hours of the giveaway’s closing and must reply within 48 hours or another winner will be selected. I was provided with this item for review and was compensated for the review. However, a positive review was not required and opinions are 100% my own. The giveaway will end at 11:59 PM on June 3rd.