The Scientist's Apprentice
Review
Review by Cindy Prechtel of Homeschooling from the Heart, "Homeschool Reviews for You", copyright 2003.*Science:* K - 6
*The Scientist's Apprentice
*Author:* Hilary Welliver
*Publisher:* Bright Ideas! Press
If you've ever been apprehensive about teaching science, you need *The Scientist's Apprentice*! With this resource you can teach a year's worth of fun, hands-on science in a unit study fashion. Perfect for inquisitive elementary students, this book provides a well-rounded introduction to four exciting science topics: Astronomy, Oceanography, Anatomy and Earth Science. The author provides a list of recommended books to go along with each unit, usually only one or two "main books" are suggested, so feel free to set your kids loose in the library to find even more books on each topic. If you choose to use the suggested books, the author provides a weekly reading plan including page numbers to go with the week's lessons. There are four Magic School Bus books that go along with the four units and these books are easily found at the library (thought they are not essential to using this curriculum -- it can and does stand alone without any supplementary reading materials!).
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*The Scientist's Apprentice* teaches kids the importance of making observations AND recording them. To that end, they encourage keeping a science journal, graphing results and more. Of course, reproducibles are included in the book so your students have a framework for keeping lab notes, observations, doing reports and there's even ready-made page for graphing.
A few of the benefits of this course are:
*Units can be taught in any order -- if your kids are interested in Anatomy then start with that one!
*An extensive and thorough explanation of how the curriculum works and tips for teaching
*Ready to copy worksheets, puzzles and other crafts
*A variety of poems, games and songs to help in memorizing facts
*Activities and printouts that appeal to a wide grade/age range of students
*LOTS of hands-on projects and experiments
*Most experiments use items found around the house, other items are easy to find at your local grocery or supercenter
*Plenty of background teacher information you need to know in order to teach the subjects
Teaching in unit study fashion can sometimes be a lot of work for mom, the author of this program has done the work for you! She has laid everything out for you while still giving you the freedom to add or subtract from the suggestions to fit your family's learning style. It really is better than a textbook and easier than a unit study! Written by a homeschool mom, this 200-page manual is a science unit study you and your children will enjoy.
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*MAKING THE GRADE:* A+
*COST:* $26.95
*VALUE FOR YOUR HOMESCHOOL DOLLAR:* 10
*"An entire year's science curriculum for multiple children for less
than $30 -- WOW!"*
Review provided by *Homeschool Reviews For You*, copyright 2003
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