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jawgee
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| Posted: March 22 2012 at 7:20pm | IP Logged
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I was wondering if anyone has used the Sonlight packaged curricula for Science. This year I've relied only on the Harcourt texts, and althought the texts are good, it hasn't been a very fun year for Science.
Sonlight Sciences look more alive and engaging, and they seem to incorporate lots of hands-on experiments, which my kids would love.
I also like that I could combine my then 7YO and 11YO in the same year (probably starting with their Science D), which would be easier for me and more fun for them to be learning together.
Anybody had experience with their Science curricula? I do wonder what they have to say about Creation vs. Evolution. I'd really like to stay away from "biblically accurate" Science books that present the Young Earth theories.
Ideas??
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stellamaris
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| Posted: March 22 2012 at 7:31pm | IP Logged
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They are creationist. The lesson plans are really handy and I have enjoyed the program when we used it in the past. It is a more traditional science textbook approach to learning, not so Charlotte Mason oriented. If you are looking for a more traditional science program, Sonlight would be a good choice. You can always present your own views on the age of the Earth, etc. personally, I don't have a problem discussing the creation/evolution theories with the children, as they are going to be exposed to both sides of the question and it is good to help them think through the teachings of the Church on these topics.
I did appreciate that it was laid out so clearly and all the experiment materials were provided in the science kits. It really made doing the experiments consistently a lot easier!
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Caroline
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jawgee
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| Posted: March 23 2012 at 6:30am | IP Logged
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Thanks for your feedback. Maybe it's not exactly what I'm looking for. I had assumed it was more CM because of the additional books I saw in addition to the text - thought maybe it was some living books.
Hmmmm, I guess I'll keep looking. I wish there was a set all laid out for me like that one, though.
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: March 23 2012 at 6:55am | IP Logged
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Have you looked into Noeo Science Monica? I remember considering it one year. It has lots of literature connected with the concepts. I'm not sure if they would be considered "living books" though.
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MaryM
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| Posted: March 23 2012 at 10:37am | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
| Have you looked into Noeo Science Monica? I remember considering it one year. It has lots of literature connected with the concepts. I'm not sure if they would be considered "living books" though. |
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I was going to mention NOEO also as being a much more Charlotte Mason approach.
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jawgee
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| Posted: March 24 2012 at 7:00am | IP Logged
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NOEO looks great! Exactly what I am looking for. Thanks so much for the recommendation!
Quick question for those who have used it before:
My sons will be 7 and 11 next year. Both of them are very good readers for their age. Do you think it would be suitable to do one level for both of them? Would it be better to move my older one down to Level 1, or move my younger one up to Level 2?
I would hate to get something boring for my older child, but I do want to make sure my younger one is still engaged and enjoying science.
Experiences?
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Aagot
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My kids really like Noeo and have not found any level boring. You cannot go wrong. What I have done is use the higher level (in your case level 2) and add in a few of the books from level one. Mainly because they looked so good I didn't want the kids to miss them.The great thing is that a lot of the books are available from the library.
A heads up though. I skipped the Galileo book from level 1 Physics because of its anti-Catholic attitude per recommendations in previous threads about NOEO here. So far I have not found any other problems.
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jawgee
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Aagot wrote:
My kids really like Noeo and have not found any level boring. You cannot go wrong. What I have done is use the higher level (in your case level 2) and add in a few of the books from level one. Mainly because they looked so good I didn't want the kids to miss them.The great thing is that a lot of the books are available from the library.
A heads up though. I skipped the Galileo book from level 1 Physics because of its anti-Catholic attitude per recommendations in previous threads about NOEO here. So far I have not found any other problems.
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Oh, thank you!! Great suggestion!
I'm excited about this.
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Monica
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: March 24 2012 at 9:37am | IP Logged
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Aagot, I notice there is a Galileo book for the level 2 physical science as well. I actually had it on my list for this year anyway. Is that one okay?
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Aagot
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It is a quick read so you might want to read it first. I think it is a fair presentation. The author points out that there were many people in the church on both sides of the issues. She also shows how Galileo was finally cleared of the charges and she does not claim that the church tortured him.
For some odd reason the author feels the need to point out that Galileo was not married to his companion and mother of his three children and that she latter married someone else. I would do this as a read aloud and simply skip those parts (p.35 & 57)
If you have the book "Pope Fiction", there is a chapter about Galileo that is helpful as background information for you as the teacher.
Hth,
Aagot
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BlessedMom
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| Posted: March 27 2012 at 5:44am | IP Logged
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I forgot all about noeo science, thanks for starting this thread! It's on my wish list now! 
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Rosesinsummer
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| Posted: May 25 2012 at 12:43am | IP Logged
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I'm considering Sonlight Core A science for a K and 2nd grader. I like that it appears all laid out for me, includes science kits, and gives a heads up for household materials a week ahead of time.
I don't know if it's traditional or more CM, but I like that it doesn't spend the whole year on one subject like botany. The books in the package look like ones my dd would like to read. I'm considering it......
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MaryM
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Rosesinsummer wrote:
I don't know if it's traditional or more CM, but I like that it doesn't spend the whole year on one subject like botany. The books in the package look like ones my dd would like to read. I'm considering it...... |
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I would agree that at young ages it is best to have a more overview of lots of principles of science & nature than a focus on a topic area. We want to fill them with awe and wonder at the natural world in general, specific topic areas become part of that.
And something like Sonlight is going to meet a need for being all laid out as you mention. Though it (science learning) can be achieved without much structure at all in those very young years. More just observation and exploration.
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mom2mpr
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We did NOEO biology and enjoyed it. Did bio 2 and added in the experiments and some of the books from bio 1 for dd. I found it easy as a mom to implement.
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jawgee
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Thanks for the feedback. I'm planning to do Bio II in the fall for my sons, who will be just shy of 11 and 7.
If you're selling Bio II, let me know. 
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stellamaris
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Noeo 
Also, in re-reading I realized I was talking about the high school program from Sonlight, which is what we used for several years (from 8th-10th for some of the kiddos), not the elementary program. So, the elementary program might be more CMish, but we have not used it.
We have used and enjoyed Noeo.
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SeaStar
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I have reread some of the old threads here about Noeo, and there are some comments about there not being many experiments. I think one level of physics didn't have any experiments until chapter 16? It was a lot of read and do a notebook page.
That gave me pause about the program. Has anyone found that to be the case? My ds loves to do experiments, which was a real problem for us with Apologia. Crossword puzzles and notebook sheets just aren't the same.
I do really like the book lists at Noeo, though. I got Fizz, Bubble and Flash from the library, and it seems like just that one book could be a good start for a science program.
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Mackfam
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Melinda,
I don't have any direct experience with NOEO, so I'll let someone with experience tackle those.
I wanted to mention that if your son loves to do science experiments, I have used the science experiment kits from Home Science Adventures with all my children and they are fantastic!!! They're COMPLETELY self contained (swoon!!!) and can be completely self-directed by a child that is an independent reader! Add in some living books you find from the library and you've got really great science programs.
You might already know about these, have already used them, or already eliminated them from your list of possibilities this year...and if so just ignore me! But I've heard you say a couple of times how much your son enjoys science experiments so I wanted to throw it out there for you.
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SeaStar
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Mackfam wrote:
Melinda,
I don't have any direct experience with NOEO, so I'll let someone with experience tackle those.
I wanted to mention that if your son loves to do science experiments, I have used the science experiment kits from Home Science Adventures with all my children and they are fantastic!!! They're COMPLETELY self contained (swoon!!!) and can be completely self-directed by a child that is an independent reader! Add in some living books you find from the library and you've got really great science programs.
You might already know about these, have already used them, or already eliminated them from your list of possibilities this year...and if so just ignore me! But I've heard you say a couple of times how much your son enjoys science experiments so I wanted to throw it out there for you. |
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I did not know about these, so thanks a ton, Jen.
I'd say science is the most stressful subject for me to plan- ds badgers me all the time about wanting to do more, more and more experiments. I can't keep up the pace 
He is really enjoying The Way Things Work on dvd, and we are working through experiments based on those, but it is taking a lot of my time to come up with experiments for some of the episodes. And then... some of the science books I have are ones with really cool looking experiments, and then I find out that half of the materials needed are no longer sold to the general public- so scratch those.
For his birthday, I am going to buy ds a gallon of vinegar and 6 boxes of baking soda and let him have all the fun he wants. That seems to be his favorite, unless it is something that can be taken apart or blown up.
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Sonlight for Science?
