Someone here is using Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop, The Elements:

[Novafan]

(couldn't fit it all in the title)
The Elements: Ingredients of the Universe

I can't remember who it is, but I remember seeing it here or on someone's blog. I'd love to hear more about this program. The curriculum is geared for 4th - 8th grades, but the person who mentioned it has a younger child using it.

Any information about this program that can be shared would be greatly appreciated. :)

[kRenee]

I used it earlier this year with my 4th and 6th grader. It's not a full year course. The book has 8 chapters and it could take anywhere between 8 and 16 weeks. I thought it was very good, teaching the periodic table, familiarity with the element families, orbitals, and bonding. Some of the activities were great and really helped our understanding. Other options were website demonstrations (we enjoyed), the games (not our thing), and some other more traditional experiements.

I highly recommend this curriculum.

[5wolfcubs]

I'm using it this year with 7th, 5th & 2nd and did post about it on my blog (http://my5wolfcubs.blogspot.com/) (about 1/3 of the way down the page). I don't do well w/ hands-on experiments...I tend to put them off indefinitely.

However, I find the elements themselves to be absolutely fascinating. This program has a variety of activities but very little mess, so it is going well. :) We're enjoying it a lot. This week we're going to start making large Periodic Tables (4 sheets of paper, pattern in the back of the book) with our focus being on the different types of elements (alkali, halogen, transition metals, etc). We've already worked on the elements individually as "ingredients" -- but now we'll really see them in relation to their neighbors. The more I learn about chemistry the more amazing it is!

It is a semester course, a chapter about every 2 weeks. I don't know that I'd recommend it if you oldest is in 2nd grade, but but my 2nd grader is enjoying & retaining the info as a tag along.

[Karenciavo]

I'm using her Neurology curriculum at my co-op, it's a big hit! I think I might use The Elements next semester.

[Lorna]

I am doing it with my two as an introduction to a more in depth study. It is really wonderful. The jump rope songs are a great hit and we have learned a great deal already. Yesterday it got me a little too inspired in fact:
'Don't Try This At Home' (http://socksandbooks.blogspot.com/)
Our two are a little older (10 and 12). We are reading 'Chemical Elements' by I Nechaev as a suggested supplement and I am hoping to use 'The Joy Of Chemistry' afterwards as further inspiration.