Tell me about earth & space for 2nd grade...

[K&Rs Mom]

I'm looking ahead a little, and not sure I want to go with the WTM-recommended Usborne "My First" encyclopedias if they are anything like the Kingfisher books for first grade - I felt the KF books were way too basic. I still like the idea of a spine, partially for fear I will completely leave out some large area of study. I also rely quite a bit on the library, for budget & storage reasons.

What have you liked for earth & space? What have your dc really remembered? What topics MUST be covered?

Thanks!

[Paula in PA]

We used Real Science Earth & Space from Pandia Press.

http://www.pandiapress.com/real_science.htm

We enjoyed it a lot. It includes some light reading and lots of hands-on projects and experiments. I did supplement with the Usborne books and lots of books from the library; there is a recommended list in the text.

[JenParrish]

Have you considered REAL Science, Earth and Space? Here is a link on it:
http://rainbowresource.com/product/R.E.A.L.+Science+-+Earth+and+Space+Level+1+(Looseleaf)/042768/1221701376-1661425

It is recommended for 1st-4th grades.

[Sue in St Pete]

We used Living Learning Books for earth/sky & chemistry and enjoyed it. REAL Science did not exist then. If I had to do it all over again, I'd check into REAL.

Wonderful supplementary books for sky are by Franklyn Branley. There are tons of them.

[tess in the burbs]

I too thought the 'First' series was too simple. But we are loving the Easy Classical Earth/Astronomy schedule. It uses the Usborne book you are referring too but it uses other sources and the library and it's working out very well for us. The simple book gets it started and we have a variety of other sources that round it out for us. So as a skeptic about that book I can assure you it can work...we love the way Easy Classical puts it all together.

good luck deciding!

[Brenda in FL]

We used the recommended spine for Earth Science stuff for about half the year coupled with "Let's Read and Find Out" Science Books and then did Apologia's Astronomy (Jaennie Fulbright) for the rest of the year. The astronomy book was fantastic.

[K&Rs Mom]

It uses the Usborne book you are referring too but it uses other sources and the library and it's working out very well for us. The simple book gets it started and we have a variety of other sources that round it out for us.

That's pretty much what we're doing for life science this year, and I'm not thrilled with it. We do love the "Read and find out" books, and I've looked a little at which ones our library has for earth & space.

I like the looks of the REAL science (though it's pricey), but wonder if it's very textbooky. Is it the kind of book with vocabulary words in a little box and questions at the end of the section? I like the idea of the lab work and notebooks too. Did you buy the lab "kit" from rainbow also, or can you assemble a collection of rocks & stuff on your own?

Thanks for all the input!

[anativetexan]

Jeannie Fullbright's Apologia Astronomy book. I did this with mine when they were 3rd/1st/PreK....the STILL remember stuff...even my youngest!

There are notebook pages and the experiments are not that hard to do.

[FlockOfSillies]

We used this too. I still have the planets book my dd made in 2nd grade.

[bairnmama]

We're using the WTM recommendations with a twist... instead of the First Encyclopedia, I got the Usborne Book of Astronomy & Space. It follows the same basic concepts, but with more info and detail. I'm not sure if they have a corresponding one for the earth or not, though. I also downloaded the lesson plans and student pages from www.elementalscience.com (http://www.elementalscience.com) The author of these put together lesson plans that use the Usborne books along with Janice VanCleave's experiment books. Every lesson already has the experiments picked out that correspond and a list of materials needed so it's pretty much open and go. We're really enjoying it! Hope you find something that works for you.

[dcjlkplus3]

We are using R.E.A.L. Science Earth and Space this year. It was pretty inexpensive ($35 for the e-book). I was not really sure what needed to be covered for earth science.
It seems to be a perfect fit for 2nd grade, it is very hands on and I don't have to try and figure out which experiments to do, just have the correct supplies on hand. It even has a book and online resource list for additional information.

[Rosy]

We use the Usborne encyclopedias primarily, and I didn't like it until we got the hang of notebooking. This week we turned a corner, though. This is what we do:

Tues: read the Usborne topic for that week (I picked them in advance) and make a notebook page. DD8 makes a summary sentence and then draws/colors a picture about something we learned, the other kids just draw a picture.

Thurs: review Usborne, then read library books on the topic, and sometimes do a related science experiment from More Mudpies to Magnets.

[KathyBC]

I like the looks of the REAL science (though it's pricey), but wonder if it's very textbooky. Is it the kind of book with vocabulary words in a little box and questions at the end of the section? I like the idea of the lab work and notebooks too. Did you buy the lab "kit" from rainbow also, or can you assemble a collection of rocks & stuff on your own?


No, it's not textbooky at all - no vocabulary words in little boxes, etc. The lab sheets are the biggest appeal with this program. The experiments work, I've had no trouble rounding up supplies though we did fork out the $ for their rock kit so there would be no worries about tracking them all down, the kids learn a lot and love it, and we end up with a very nice collection of completed work at the end.

[Chris in VA]

We used Trivium Academy's earth and space stuff, before I dropped science all together. You don't have to use all the books, and you can find some of them at the library. She sells her plans on lulu for $5, I think, and they are worth every penny and more!

I like the little films and extras you can get on the Usborne site, and, if you have United Streaming, there are a lot of things there, too.

[Brigitte]

I'm looking ahead a little, and not sure I want to go with the WTM-recommended Usborne "My First" encyclopedias if they are anything like the Kingfisher books for first grade - I felt the KF books were way too basic. I still like the idea of a spine, partially for fear I will completely leave out some large area of study. I also rely quite a bit on the library, for budget & storage reasons.

What have you liked for earth & space? What have your dc really remembered? What topics MUST be covered?

Thanks!

You are probably no longer monitoring this post, but here goes anyway...

The Usborne Book is internet-linked. So, you can go to the Usborne quick-links website, select you book and page number. Usborne will provide you with numerous websites that will give further information, activities, etc. There is also a course Ten Terrific Weeks on Space, which we are using (also Usborne), that give activities and a lesson plan, etc. Let me know via PM if you want a link.

HTH's

[Kristiana]

We are also using Elemental Science (http://www.elementalscience.com) this year and supplementing with Let's Read and Find Out books from the library. I love the notebook pages that are included with space for narrations and pictures (draw your own or color her drawings.) The experiments from Janice VanCleave have all worked out for the most part and my boys are really enjoying science this year. I love that it's getting done! And the papier-mache globes we made were a huge hit!

[AllSmiles]

We are using the “DK: First Space Encyclopedia.” Yes, it is easy, but I think it is a great jumping off point. I think the simplicity helps me from losing my youngest, but it also makes my older kids want to investigate more.

For each section, I find a book at my local library that corresponds to the subject. This helps us dig deeper into each topic. I also look to see if there are any United Streaming videos that correspond to the subject as well. I’ve also been trying to add in experiments where applicable. We often end the session by putting together some type of little book with the information we learned (similar to lapbooking, but I’m not planning on putting them all together). My oldest is also using “Prentice Hall: Earth Science.”

You can see the first three weeks of our astronomy study at my blog (link below). I’m planning to add more as time permits.

Here is a link to a site that has some astronomy experiments (http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/space/). I wish I would have found this site when I was originally planning my lessons.

Good luck with whatever you choose :)

[hmschoolmom22]

we are using Apologia Astronomy and my kids love it as do I!