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Science has never been my forte as either student or teacher. After my first few years teaching very young children I never worried too much about my lack of interest in science, however last year I knew it was time to step up our science game. For my kids younger years we’d just look through science books based on our different interests, my kids were young and I wasn’t feeling too rushed to get serious. However last year I had my oldest entering 3rd grade and my kids were starting to yearn for some more meaty science material.
I found myself thinking, time to step up your game Mama! I don’t limit myself as a homeschool Mom just because I don’t completely know or even love a subject, I consider it an opportunity to learn new things alongside my kids. If learning never stops for my kids it won’t stop for me either! When we don’t know it all, these are moments to set the example for lifelong learning by being lifelong learners ourselves.
After looking through curriculum after curriculum last spring I finally settled on Apologia for our first serious year of science. Astronomy is something I have always been fascinated so with we started with that book from the Young Explorers series. This was one of those years that I was going to need to be excited about what we were studying! My kids were already excited especially after looking through the junior notebooking journals that go alongside the book I would be reading to them.
Why We Love Apologia Science
Learning together – Apologia has multi grade notebooking journals for kids that start at 1st grade and go all the way through 6th grade for the elementary science series. We would go over our lesson then each kids had an activity or coloring page to go along with the material we had just covered. Wild Little Girl was only in Kindergarten so I grabbed her an Astronomy coloring book so everyone had something to do while I read them their lesson. The Young Explorers series is for kids in 1st through 6th grade so if it began to feel a bit too advanced I just skipped over those sections and focused on what my kids would be able to understand, which was more than I thought they could!
Creation Based – While using random books for teaching science can seem easier, I found myself constantly having the evolution vs creation conversation with my kids. I am all about exposing my kids to other worldviews but don’t want to have to waste brain power every day filtering our belief system in. Apologia was wonderful about adding in other beliefs for the parents to discuss with kids but it wasn’t the primary focus either. I teach my kids with an emphasis on the truth of creation beginning with our faith in God and evolution as the theory because that is the solid truth. Evolution is still a theory and I will continue to teach my kids that truth.
Sometimes I am challenged by people to make sure I am exposing my kids to other worldviews, this is ironic because kids in school do not learn about creationism. If things were truly balanced, wouldn’t schools be teaching kids about all the worldviews and give them the chance to decide what they believe is true? I am not afraid to teach my children all the different beliefs because one day they will ultimately have to stand on their faith as their own and we may as well lay these foundations and have these conversations while they are young.
Simple To Teach – This is truly an open and go curriculum. Lessons are laid out in a way that is easy to understand what reading, notebooking or activities we will be doing each day. I tend to lean towards the curriculum that won’t have me cramming on Sunday nights to figure out what we will be doing for the week and this was it. Experiments are laid out with simple directions and the supplies can be purchased in kits so you are set to go well in advance!
Approved By My Kids – The Young Explorers series was truly adored by my kids, I tried to steer them towards a lighter science study this year however they begged me to do another one by Apologia so I caved. If there is one thing a homeschool Mom can’t resist it is kids asking for more school work. The coloring pages, scripture copy work, mini books, crossword puzzles and experiments were too good not to do another year. Some of the science experiments we did were the highlight of my kids homeschool year, like making homemade ice cream with rock salt! This year we will be starting Swimming Creatures on the 5th Day which my kids are counting down the days to get started.
Now that we have used Apologia for science it is hard to imagine using anything else. Not only was this a win for my kids but it gave me the confidence to keep digging deeper and tackle teaching subjects that are a bit more intimidating. This is good news because teaching middle and high school will sneak up on me before I know it, filled with more perplexing concepts to teach than ever before!
It encouraged me when I realized how much the bible has to say about science and the world God created. So many scriptures filled our pages with what God has to say about the stars and the heavens. Now when I gaze up at the night sky, more than ever before I am amazed by the stunning work of His hands.
Science is important to God because he created it for his glory, every complex design points to the glory of His name.
Now I have a whole new reason to teach science, to glorify God in all that we learn and keep our focus on Him each day.
That is the goal of this Homeschool Mama’s heart and I am thankful for the resources to accomplish it.
