Science is one of those subjects that everyone kind of shys away from. Many people think that science in any shape or form is just hard. I can’t tell how many time I hear that as a teacher. Yet, Apologia Press changes all of that. Apologia Science is designed specifically for the homeschool student. Astronomy for the elementary grades is laid out so that you can use one book for many different grades.
Strengths:
Apologia Science uses a revolutionary approach to the way we look at science. The result is an elementary science curriculum that is not only engaging and interesting, but also very fun! We have used this curriculum for several years now in our home school. This year we used the Apologia Astronomy course. The book is a high quality book, with beautiful colored illustrations throughout. There are activities and projects to do in each chapter. Apologia has also produced a website with support- resource material. They encourage you to notebook while you do the course. They have even provided great note-booking pages to copy and print out on their website. The presentation of each chapter is very down to earth and easy to understand. I use this curriculum for my Kindergarten, Fourth, and Sixth grade children. Each one of them has enjoyed it!
Weaknesses:
The Apologia curriculum really has no major weaknesses. I would say that augmenting the curriculum in some manner may improve it, or adding to the resource materials on their website. I would like to see some type of resource list for accompanying places you could visit in your area that would coincide with the chapter/text that you are studying. The projects are sometimes a little difficult to understand, perhaps a more detailed description of these would alleviate any misunderstandings.
Recommendations:
All I can say is – we love it! I would definitely recommend this curriculum to any homeschool family looking to add life to their science curriculum. This book not only makes science “not hard”, but actually makes it fun! The way the levels are set up as “multi-grade” makes it so easy on the homeschooling mom! We always notebook along with our science studies, and have found that the children enjoy recreating the different things that they have learned. They also enjoy the printable sheets that I get from the Apologia website. All in all in over 15 years of teaching, this is the first time I have found a science curriculum that my children can’t wait to start. Every year when we order the new book, the children start to beg to begin science. Can you ask for a better enticement? Try Apologia Science – you’ll love it, and your kids will thank you!
