Secular Homeschool Resources

Great Science Adventures

I was looking for secular science program which would allow for me to choose from various levels, and which would cover topics thoroughly enough for me to feel secure that I had left no significant gaps in our studies. [i]Great Science Adventures[/i], published by Common Sense Press has filled this need for us. This review focuses on the title, [i]Earth’s Landforms and Surface Features[/i], but I also have [i]World of Plants and World of Insects and Arachnids[/i]. All three books employ the same structure, layout and methodology.

The books are quite thorough and will work (supposedly) for grades K-8. Each lesson gives levelled activities to do for each concept, using little pencils to indicate the level. One little pencil is approximately grades K-2 level, two pencils is grades 3-5, three is grades 6-8. [i]Earth’s Landforms and Surface Features[/i] covers the following topics:

Physical features of the Earth
Lithosphere
Earthquakes
Mountains
Volcanoes
Tsunamis, hot springs, geysers and volcanic islands
Igneous and sedimentary rocks
Metamorphic rocks
Minerals
Fossils
Soil
Weathering and erosion
Caves
Glaciers
Rivers
Lakes
Oceans
Deserts

Each lesson introduces a list of concepts for that lesson, as well as a few vocabulary words. There is a “Lots of Science Library book” to make (included for copying or cutting out in the back of the book) which briefly discusses the lesson concepts. Also in each lesson is a selection of activities, many of which include the use of graphic organizers (also in the back of the book). Finally, each lesson includes a sections called “Experiences, Investigations, and Research.” This section provides ideas for extension activities, as well as web-link suggestions.

You may want to be aware of the fact that Common Sense Press is not a secular publisher. They also publish the [i]Learning Language Arts Through Literature[/i] series and many of Ruth Beechick’s books. While I found no Christian references in any of the [i]Great Science Adventures[/i] titles I have, I did find that the issue of evolution and age of the earth is not-so-cleverly omitted. There is no mention of theories on the formation of the Earth, and in the lesson on fossils, the “Lots of Science Library book” merely discusses how fossils are formed with absolutely no mention of age. This did not hinder me from using the program, but I did feel it was a significant omission. For my 6 year old son, I borrowed a wonderful picture book called [i]The Story of Life on Earth[/i] by Margaret Munro to fill in those evolutionary gaps.

Each book is designed to be used as a whole program, however, it is not reasonable to assume that one book equals one year of science. There are approximately 24 lessons per book and it is not difficult to do more than one lesson in a week, especially with a younger child. My biggest complaint about the series is that it does not include suggestions for additional reading, instead relying solely on the “Lots of Science Library” books for all reading material. It was not difficult to find supplementary reading at the local library, though.

We like using [i]Great Science Adventures[/i] and find that it is a good fit for our family. We add to the program with supplemental reading to fill in the “missing” evolutionary content, but find it an otherwise thorough program. My son enjoys the little books and the activities, but I do have one caveat regarding these: don’t bother attempting to photocopy the little booklets and work pages. I only have one child, and so am not terribly concerned with being able to re-use the books. I understand wanting to have the ability to make multiple copies, however, I found it next to impossible to get the pages to line up properly, even when carefully following the copying instructions included in the book. For simplicity’s sake, I prefer to use the books as a consumable resource. I take them to the local printer, who slices the spine off. Then I hole-punch the teaching pages and we cut up, colour, write-on and otherwise mutilate the work pages.

by Audrey Bessette
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Do you agree? Disagree? If you have comments on this program, please make them! This has been set up in blog form so that the reviews can be participatory.

“Growing with Grammar: Grade 3″ by Tamela Davis; includes student manual, student workbook, and answer key, $29.99 for complete set (manual and workbook/answer key can be purchased separately) www.growingwithgrammar.com

Because I had met Tamy online in other hs’ing groups, when I heard she was preparing a new 3rd grade grammar text, I — and my eight-year-old daughter — jumped at the chance to be “guinea pigs” recently.

Although we had started using another, very thorough grammar program, in September when my daughter started 3rd grade, she and I much prefer the more secular approach of “Growing with Grammar.” In fact, there were times in the other program when my daughter’s ignorance of the subject matter was, at the least, distracting and, at the most, confusing for the task at hand; for example, when diagramming or determining a direct object.

I also like the very comprehensive cumulative review throughout the entire book; the fact that all of the exercises are contained in a separate, spiral-bound (at the top, which will work very well for both my two righties as well as for my lefty) workbook; and that the exercises don’t require the child to copy out a great many sentences.

While my daughter enjoys the writing and copying in the other program, I know that my sons will much prefer the variety of GWG’s exercises, from underlining to checking to circling to completing sentences with a few extra words. I’ve also found that the workbook is very easy for my daughter to use on her own (there is no teacher’s guide, and in fact one isn’t necessary) and has been a big help in getting to her to work more independently in the subject of grammar. That said, the workbook is amazingly comprehensive — at 230 pages, it’s only seven pages shorter than the manual. By the time your son or daughter is done with the set, s/he should have the grammar down pat.

When I asked my daughter what she liked about the program, she answered, “I like that the activity pages [workbook] are fun, I can work on them by myself, and it’s about kids like me and families like mine.”

Becky Sharp (aka “Becky in Alberta” at WTMS, WTMD, etc.)
Alberta, Canada

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If you have comments on this program, please make them! This has been set up in blog form so that the reviews can be participatory.