Physics and/or Chemistry Curriculum choices?

[Closeacademy]

Just wondering what people have used to teach either of these subjects at the 3rd-5th grade level.

Was it interesting?
Easy to use?
Great experiments?
Did you need a kit or could you find the stuff around the house?
How much?
How long did it last you? Did you do it weekly, daily, or what?
Where did you buy it?
Is it a book, curriculum, guide, text?

Just wondering what is out there. My oldest wants more experiments and I really want something that is easy to use. Thanks.:001_smile:

[Shari]

IMHO, Noeo is the absolute best for these subjects at the grade level you are wanting. All planned out for you and experiments included :)

http://www.noeoscience.com/index.html

[WendyK]

I have used Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry, and I am currently using NOEO Science Physics 1. I have also used Singapore Science My Pals are Here (3A through 5B).

I think RS4K is well written. You don't have to buy a kit. However, it does require one to gather supplies and prepare things. If you are looking for ready to go, this is not for you. Not that the prep is difficult, but there is prep. For example, in one experiment one has to boil a purple cabbage and cool the liquid before use. When I did this experiment I had to go to a couple of stores to find the cabbage because it was out of season.

My number one complaint about RS4K is that it has 10 chapters and 10 experiments. I found that it took about one week for each chapter because my son devours science. Some chapters were long enough to spread out a little. So you may be done rather quickly. I personally look for something that will last most of a school year. Ten weeks is nowhere close to that. Also, for a kid who loves experiments, there aren't many. You could add a chemistry kit of some sort. Perhaps you could even flesh out the reading with more reading. But for me, I like stuff that is complete and ready to go for science. Otherwise, it does not get done well (if it gets done at all).

Now the My Pals are Here is great in terms of being well written and having a lot of great thinking problems in the workbook. There aren't many experiments in the book though. And there are no specific chemistry or physics books. The books each have a variety of topics. You definitely need a kit of some sort to add on, or come up with some experiments. I would have loved this program more if there was some sort of experiment book. There is an activity book, but sometimes they consider an activity coloring something on a page. Also, the books often use examples of plants and animals that are native to Singapore, but one wouldn't find here. This is not the end of the world, but I think younger kids can relate better if they recognize the plants and animals.

Right now we are working through NOEO Physics 1. I have to say I am most impressed with this program. It has the right amount of experiments. I just bought the prepackaged deal with all the books and experiments. Yes, it is expensive, but you would not be able to put it together cheaper yourself. And, all of the stuff is pretty much ready to go. So far I have only had to provide a boiled egg, a soda bottle, and a piece of cardboard. Even the pennies in one experiment are included! Also, the program does not bombard one with too much information. I really feel like my son is grasping and retaining the most important concepts. With some programs there is just too much information. At the 3rd through 5th grade level that isn't necessary and probably isn't ideal. Also, it isn't textbooky. It feels real and interesting.

I hope that helps. :001_smile:

[Ali in OR]

We have been very pleased with Noeo Chem I and Physics I. We are trying to build a decent home library, so I don't really mind the expense because we get excellent books that get read and re-read. The ease of use is also very appealing to me. I think that if I had to put it all together, science would tend to get dropped.

[Closeacademy]

Thanks so far. I have My Pals are Here and her main complaint is the lack of science experiments. I will check out NOEO. I've been afraid of them because of the price tag and the fact that we tend to burn through living book science pretty quickly. We did Sonlight Science K in about a month.

I've looked at RS4K and thought that even though it looked good that we would finish it very quickly.

Thanks.:001_smile: