Here is a little from their website:
A creative in-depth encounter with natural science from a biblical perspective.
Adaptable for Second to Seventh Grade. A gigantic 272-page book plus Teacher's Manual with free audio CD!
That's not much of a description so here is the FAQ page to answer anymore questions you might think of! This FAQ page is a really great one, there are answers to most of the questions I thought of and the other questions were answered when I read through the material. It is a seriously easy program to implement and adapt.
We received a copy of the the Teacher's Manual and a copy of the Student's Book for this review. The Teacher's Manual is very descriptive of what needs taught and you can just read right from it to teach the lesson. Wait, before I get ahead of myself let me tell you what is in the book. At the beginning of the book is a page About the Authors. Next comes an article on Multi-Level Teaching followed by a Questions and Answers page. The Table of Contents is wonderful. It lists the lessons but also lists what is in the lesson. I know, I know that's what they're for right? Well, under each Lesson title they list the page number that corresponds with it in the Workbook/Student Book. How cool is that? It is very handy, let me tell you!
Okay, moving on...After the Table of Contents is the Introduction. This Introduction gives you a great explanation of what the program is and what it is meant to do. Don't skip the Introduction, it is very helpful. Another must read in the Teacher's Manual is the Basic Teaching Procedure page. This page outlines the different steps in each lesson in detail and gives a checklist for the student so you can be sure you cover what needs covered.
Okay, now we are ready to move on to the lessons! Each Lesson is listed out just like the Basic Teaching Procedure page-in the same order-so that you know what is next and won't get mixed up when teaching it. Under each of those sections is exactly what you need to read/tell the students for the Lesson. I literally just read right from the book and it was perfect. If there is a Workbook Page to accompany a section, it is listed with the instructions. No looking back and forth between pages to find all the different things to accomplish for the lesson. It is very handy.
The other thing, okay one of them, that I really like is the Evolution Stumpers. These are questions and information designed to get students to really think about what they believe, learn the facts of science that support Creation, and logically question evolution. I love it when curriculum teaches kids to think for themselves and reason out logical answers.
There are two more sections that I want to draw attention to. One is the Review section which has questions to ask the student to be sure that they understood the material. It's always a good idea to get the student to explain what they learned back to you; it solidifies what they understand. The other section is the Digging Deeper section. This section is designed to stretch the curriculum to the older grades and make it more in-depth for them. There are more requirements for them and is a great way to incorporate a larger grade range for the program.
I can not say how much we have enjoyed this curriculum. I love that the Student Book/Workbook has everything that is needed to complete the assignments(most of them anyway.) There are a few assignments/crafts that require a shoebox or something like that but other than crayons, glue, and scissors there isn't much else needed to do the projects. We have used other science curricula and we had to make lists of supplies weeks ahead of time to be sure we had the items that we would never use again! It was frustrating and we ended up not doing many of the projects. Not so with this program..
Oh wait, one more thing. At the back of the Student Book/Workbook there are Crossword Puzzles that can be used as Review work. You might even be able to use them as tests of sorts to be sure they are retaining the information. It is fun and still challenging. There is also a listing of all the lyrics on the included CD and a glossary of terms.
Did I forget the CD? Ooops! Included in the Teacher's Manual is a CD of Music that helps re-inforce the information learned in each Lesson. Music is such a great way to retain the knowledge you are trying to learn. I know because the girls have been singing the songs constantly!!
Okay, if you are super interested based on our loving the program head on over to their website and check it out. The Student Book/Workbook and Teacher's Manual are sold together for $29.95. I am not even kidding. That is an amazing price for the amount of information and fun you get with this curriculum. If you need to order another Student Book/Workbook,homeschool family with multiple ages/grades.
If you can't tell, we are loving this curriculum. My 9yo had this to say, "This is the best! I love doing it everyday." The 6yo says, "Oh yeah, I love it too! It's really cool." Definitely an endorsement. ;-)
If you want to know what other Crew members thought about Exploring God's Creation head on over to the Crew Blog and check them out.
Want to contact the company? Here are several ways to do just that on this page. While you are there check out the other products they offer.
**I received Exploring God's Creation through The TOS Crew in exchange for my honest review.
1 comment:
I bought this several years ago based on Cynthia's recommendation! I liked the things you mentioned, Evolution Stumpers and Digging Deeper. I remember there being a lot of cut and paste. I was in a "I must supplement EVERYTHING mode, and I drove myself nuts trying to weave in books to read--oh, not just "books," the PERFECT books.
It was an easy, inexpensive, all in one book that did not require much prep work for mom. And you can't beat something that can be used by all of the kiddoes at once!
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