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Curriculum Pick: Science

Grade 5

We’re skipping the Wayfarers science program and trying out Science in the Ancient World by Dr. Jay Wile instead. Why? Mostly because I think having one single science textbook will make my life a bit easier.

And I really like the format of this book — instead of covering individual subjects like biology one year and chemistry the next, Science in the Ancient World teaches about the history of scientific discovery. Dr. Wile writes about the different scientists, detailing what they got right and what they got wrong. There is also an experiment to go along with each and every lesson, most using everyday household items.

River is a science-y kid. We’ve struggled with each single science curriculum that I buy because she “already knows that“. If there’s one thing she can’t stand, it’s being taught something she already knows. And that’s hard because she reads a lot of science-type books on her own. It’s quite likely that she already knows more than me, to be honest.

Actually, there’s no question. She knows way more than me.

I’m hoping this science textbook will be different because it won’t just teach a scientific concept; instead, it will teach how that scientific concept was discovered — and that will be new to her.

Grade 1

Harbour can join in science lessons if she’d like — Science in the Ancient World is appropriate for grades 1 – 6. I won’t bug her to participate though.

Rather, I’d prefer that Harbour does nature studies, Charlotte Mason-style. That means instead of working through science textbooks, we spend a lot of time outdoors observing plants and animals, and we then spend a lot of time indoors reading engaging nature-themed stories. The Pathways program from Barefoot Ragamuffin that we’re using for Literature includes a lot of books like Grandfather Frog by Thomas Burgess and Among the Pond People by Clara Dillingham Pierson, so we’re pretty much set.

Barefoot Ragamuffin has a whole science-based fantasy series called Quark Chronicles that I think Harbour would enjoy, except I can’t get her to sit long for novels. She does much better with audiobooks in bed at night or during long car rides. I’m almost tempted to record myself reading the books — but when would I do that? It’s probably not going to happen.

Pre-School

Forest is busy experimenting all sorts of scientific concepts, like gravity (falls off chairs), changing states of matter (his ice cream melt), and the Coriolis Effect (he flushes the toilet for the 47th time in a row). I can only assume that he’s a genius in the making. Or that he just flushed my car keys.

Jump Ahead: Our Curriculum Pick for 2017/2018

Introduction
Math: Beast Academy and RightStart
Language Arts: Barefoot Ragamuffin and Brave Writer curriculums
History: Wayfarers: Ancient History
Geography: Wayfarers: Ancient History
Science: Science in the Ancient World
Bible: Episcopal Children’s Curriculum
Foreign Languages: Speaking French with Miss Mason and François and Latin for Children
Miscellaneous: Wayfarers: Ancient History