Thinking about science for next year - multiple levels

[Kate in Arabia]

I'll have an advanced 5th grader and a 2nd grader. We're doing physics this year (RS4K), and I think it's going ok.. well, it's going great for my older, and so-so for my younger. The younger one likes doing some of the experiments, he can write the results/data, and he dictates to me his answers on questions like why something happened, or what he thinks should happen, etc. etc. But he kind of fizzles out after a bit while my older is ready to delve deeper, do more related experiments, and write more. Totally expected.

So next year we'll be back to biology, and I'm thinking to do entirely separate things with them. I had a really great biology year with my older when he was in 1st grade -- cut out pictures, colored, drew, read animal books, etc. -- I want that for my 2nd grader. I feel like he's losing out on the "joy of science", if that makes sense. And although my 5th grader would probably enjoy that again as well, I think he would like something meatier and challenging more... along the lines of what's recommended in the WTM -- cell studies, microscopes, more in depth.

I guess I'm kind of lamenting that I'm going to need to consider science a separate subject, like math and English, instead of a combined one, kwim? I'm not sure how it will fit into our days. History I can see will be easy to continue together (we'll be doing SOTW 3), but that's going to be just about the only subject we can treat that way..

Is this generally the case?

[Carol in Cal.]

2nd and 5th graders think too differently to combine in science, in my view.

However, you can certainly coordinate their studies to some extent, so that they are studying the same things but at different levels. Have you ever looked at the Steward Ship unit study/notebooking approach? I think that it might be a great fit for this situation. Another question is how science minded you and your family is. Would the children do some studying on their own? For instance, if you went to a natural history or children's science museum, would each of your children delve into something new? If so, you might have them working at different levels but combine field trips. There are so many great science field trips available around here--don't know whether that is true where you live or not. Often they are mixed age. Homeschooling groups here sign up for school-style labs, and then have their children spend their entire days at the museum. It's a great way to have some combining.

[Beth in Central TX]

With the age span of your kids, it will probably be easier to break up their science work as they get older. Even without the age span I have decided to do different science books with my older boys. I still use the Elementary Aplogia series, but my 5th grader is doing Astronomy & Botany, and my 6th grader is doing Zoology I & II. I did this because my older son would dominate the experiments and discussion which was just fine with my middle son since he's not as excited about science as his older brother. Now that they are doing different books for science, my middle son is doing his own experiments and developing his own interest in the subject rather than falling in the shadow of the zeal of his older brother.