I knew from the beginning we were going to homeschool our children. I will be totally honest it was completely new territory for us. Neither of us were homeschooled and we had no idea about all the curriculum choices available. That is the beautiful thing, there are great curriculum choices available to homeschool families. One such curriculum is Real Science-4-Kids, we have been looking at Book 4 for our son. There are two ways you can use Real Science-4-Kids, as part of a curriculum you design yourself or as part of the 4th Grade Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle.
Let’s Take A Closer Look
Part of science is observations right? Well, let’s take a look at the Book 4 Textbook from Real Science-4-Kids. First of all, it has that nostalgic textbook feel and smell. If you ever have gotten a new textbook from school, you know what I mean. I am super impressed with the overall look of the textbook. The hardcover and size is great for young children. The text print is perfect and key words are in bold. I was impressed with the illustrations, it is a mix of real photographs and cartoon style drawings. This might sound picky but I am glad that the paper is flat and not glossy so it doesn’t reflect light. Minor right, I know but for some kids just have that glossy paper with light reflections can make it hard for them to see clearly.
As a parent looking for a science curriculum, I really liked the fact that this textbook covered different science areas. This textbook explores the different areas of science such as chemistry, biology, physics, geology, and astronomy. It is a great way to introduce your child to the different fields of science and it might spark an interest in one area that will lead your child to further their learning in that area.
The textbook begins with an introduction chapter, this is letting your child know what type of different areas of science they will be studying. Each chapter has vocabulary words that are in bold text, they are listed at the end of the chapter as either basic words or challenge words. Then the textbook is divided into the five different areas.
- Chemistry
- Learning about electrons
- Solids, Liquids, Gases, and Energy
- Fast and Slow Reactions
- Energy/Heat
- Biology
- What are Animals?
- Squishy, spiny, slimy animals
- Stinging, crawling, squirming animals
- Swimming, Flying, Scaly, Furry animals
- Physics
- Waves
- Sound
- Light
- Reflection and Refraction
- Geology
- Cycles
- Ecology
- Natural Resources
- Pollution
- Astronomy
- The Universe
- How big is the universe
- Solar System and Galaxy
- Space research and travel
The book ends with a conclusion chapter that talks about amazing discoveries, famous scientists, and the Nobel Prize. In case anyone is curious there is no mention of evolution or Darwin in this text. This text book is not faith based but I would consider it to be very neutral in that area as not real push one way or another is emphasized.
Lesson Planning and Teaching
As part of the curriculum is the digital download of some wonderful resources, such as lesson planning sheets. Now, the curriculum does not map out what you should complete each day or week. Instead a template for each week is provided, it can be printed and put into a teacher binder if you choose. Personally, I do like curriculums like this as it allows us to not only move at our own pace and doesn’t make us feel so constrained by a plan.
Reading the text together with our son is definitely our approach, it gives time for conversation and other extension activities. If you want to know some extension activities the lesson plan gives some great suggestion is the connections area. Pick and choose what would be appealing to your child and also that is feasible for you to complete as a family. Not into experiments? No worries! Choose to complete experiments or not. You can find details on different experiments on a resource hub for Real Science-4-Kids.
I might or might not choose the experiments because this curriculum offers a really cool hands on tool with the Student Notebook. The student notebook is a digital download with the curriculum, so you will need to print it out. Do not make the same mistake I did and try to make it double sided–there are several areas your child will need to cut things out. So single sided pages is the way to go! Put the pages in a three ring binder and you have a documentation of all that was learned for the year! Perfect for those homeschool reviews (if you live in a state that requires that).
But don’t worry parents, an answer key is also provided!
Final Thoughts
When looking at the beginning pages in the student notebook it does mention the previous textbooks 1-3. Obviously, this series builds upon each other. However, I do not think a child would have an issue using this book for the first time starting with book 4 like we are currently. I enjoy the layout of the textbook, the information is presented clearly and in small sections. This keeps the attention of my son and helps him to retain the information.
So if you are looking for science curriculum that is super informative without being overly cumbersome check out Real Science-4-Kids on Timberdoodle and check out the 4th grade curriculum kit.
I received this complimentary product from Timberdoodle. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I did not receive monetary compensation.
The Life We Build 