We received in the mail a copy of Eagle's Wings' "Considering God's Creation" science curriculum. It is described as "A creative biblical approach to natural sciences.
The authors/publishers put in a lot of effort to make sure it was easy for homeschoolers to use - and by that I mostly mean it requires very little preperation and can be used with multiple grade levels, which we certainly always appreciate. Our children span just 2 years in age (7-9), but 4 years in grade level (1st-4th) and due to some special needs (both positive and negative), the span is sometimes even greater in their abilities to do the work presented, to focus or to fully comprehend and retain the information.
Considering God's Creation is billed as being adaptable for 2nd to 7th grade, and I'd say that's fairly accurate. Depending on your students, of course, and your creativity, it could be stretched both to younger and older students. (For instance, my first grader had NO trouble with the basic scientific information... and an older student can use the curriculum as a launching point for further, possibly independent research.)
There are three parts to this curriculum.
The Teacher's Manual gives you everything you need to teach your students:
- Preparation (all supplies you will need or anything you need to do before sitting down with your students.)
- Vocabulary words for this lesson
- Introduction (to read aloud, a synopsis of what they will be learning.)
- Song/Poem (including song lyrics)
- Activity (experiment or project)
- Bible Reading (relates the science lesson to scripture)
- Notebook (a summary the children keep of what they are learning)
- Evolution Stumpers (scientific facts that support creation and challenge evolution in a positive way)
- Review (questions and review puzzles)
- Digging Deeper (resources for deeper learning, often other books are required for this part)
The Child's Notebook
The notebook is where you'll find all of the puzzles, activities, worksheets and more that the child will use for their learning activities. Photocopying is allowed within one family or class, but for the sake of time and convenience, I'd really consider buying seperate notebooks for each child. (The notebook alone costs just $13.95 each.)
There is also included a CD of songs to accompany each lesson, to help the lessons really sink in and be memorable. (And here comes the cynic in me... I couldn't stand the CD. Nice idea, but if you can get a child older than about 3 to sit and listen to these, you're a better convincer than I am. They made me cringe... but I'm a really tough critic of most educational music.)
The full curriculum is $29.95 and includes all three parts - Teacher's Manual, Notebook and CD.
As for my overall impression of the curriculum (barring the CD, of course)... I liked it. I thought it was thorough, but still simple enough for multiple grades. It covered a wide variety of topics (listed below), in ways that were easy to understand. I usually find the Bible reading sections of products like this to be trite, and quite a stretch, and while this had a hint of that, it wasn't nearly as cheesy as many curriculums attempts at tying it in. I really liked the evolution stumpers being included - fun info that makes them think AND reinforces creationism. As with any curriculum, you can take what you like and leave the rest. But this was a great basis for an easy to teach and well prepared science program.
Topics include:
Creation
The Universe: Stars, Sun and Planets
My Place in the Universe
Our Solar System
Getting to know the Planets
The Earth
Our Planet Earth
Light
The Earth
The Atmosphere
Non-living Things: Rocks and Minerals
Rocks
Igneous Rock
Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rock
Becoming a Rock Detective
Weather
Weather
Sun and Weather
Air and Weather
Water and Weather
Rotation and Weather
Land and Weather
Clouds
The Speed of Light, Sound and Wind
The Plant Kingdom
Plants
Photosynthetic Plants
Flowers
Fungus Plants
Trees
Plant Ecology - Flora and Fauna
The Animal Kingdom
Insects
Spiders
Introduction
Fish
Reptiles
Birds
Mammals
Zoo Adventure
Amphibians
Animal Anatomy & Physiology
Animal Structure
Animal Food Chain
Animal Reproduction/Genetics
Animal Instinct, Vision and Brains
Animal Ecology
Extinction
Whales
Man: Made in God's Image
Man - Reproductive System
The Cell
Man - Skeletal System
Man - Digestive System
Man - Circulatory System
Man - Respiratory System
Man - Nervous System
Man - Integumentary System
Man - Endocrine System and Excretory System
Man - Muscular System
(Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I have not been compensated in any other way.)
I was going to email you directly but didn't find a link...Thank you for sharing this...I have been wondering if we should seek counselling for our oldest child, he is almost 7 and has been with us for a year and a half now...but he, most of the time is a very happy, loving child, despite his competitive attitude...but then he goes to school(in public school now, homeschooling in the fall) and steals milk from the lunch line, takes other food items that don't belong to him, when he has a full lunch in his lunch bag, then will lie to my face over and over about it, even though there are spots on his shirt, he plays dumb with his homework, then when he spends time in his room, he stomps, kicks, yells, hits, you name it. I don't know if it is just him, or if it is typical issues of children in his position or if it is more and needs counselling...any thoughts are much appreciated! :) Thank you for openess and honesty on your blog.
Posted by: Ashley | 05/27/2011 at 09:32 PM