We have used many of Apologia's books in the past and have really enjoyed them. They are, in fact, our favorite homeschool science curriculum. The Chemistry and Physics book was no exception! First of all, I love the fact that these topics are being introduced to the elementary/middle school aged set and in a fun, hands-on way. That is what science should be! Too many kids today feel like science is boring and that saddens me.
Every chapter in the book is bright, engaging and written in a conversational, not "textbooky" tone. Included are several "Try This" experiments that illustrate the topic/concept being taught. Most can be done with everyday items found in your home or the aisles of Walmart. :-)
The Junior Notebooking Journal (there is also a Notebooking Journal for older students who are proficient in cursive handwriting) also has activities, exercises and experiments to correlate with each chapter. For example, there are puzzles, lapbook templates to make, pages to color and suggested projects to complete.
The suggested age is K-6, but I easily see given the subject matter, that older children would be interested as well. There are 14 chapters in the book and it is projected, that at 2 days a week, it would take 2 weeks to complete each. My children were enthusiastically asking to do this book everyday! :-) So, depending on your children, your schedule and the amount of experiments/projecrts you choose, the course can take a school year (or more) to complete.
As I mentioned my children asked to do this everyday. We did use it almost everyday. I read the section(s) aloud from the book. They suggest that you have the child narrate back to you what they learned. It is amazing to here how much they remember and having them express it in their own words. We would then do the activities in the notebooking journal (puzzle, lapbook template). The kiddos' favorite, hand's down, was the "Try This" experiments. They are so varied, hands-on and fun. Some of them include experiments with magnetism, buoyancy creating an amorphous solid and centripetal force. There are dozens more! There are also "projects" in each chapter. These include lava lamps, making a sugar cookie periodic table, creating a soundproof box and more. What an amazing way for kids to learn about the principles of physics and chemistry!
These are some photos of an experiment in matter and volume. The children got rocks from outside and were calculating how much volume they had by the amount of water they displaced! :-) It was such a fun and educational experiment. They kept going outside and getting more and more rocks, comparing their size and volume. How it warms a momma's heart to have their children eagerly doing a science experiment and then running to tell their dad and grandparents all they learned!
The book is available for $39 and the Notebooking journals (both junior and regular) are $24.
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