Your videos are so helpful in that you’re very informed, have clearly done your research and offer so many more options I wouldn’t have heard of otherwise. Thank you!
This is such a wonderful review and overview! This looks like exactly what I want for my soon-to-be middle schooler. You said the physical science units are more challenging. In your opinion, are they units you'd hold off on until later in middle school, or are they okay to jump in with the first year? I was thinking we could do one from each section for 6th grade, but if they are geared more towards late 7th-8th then I don't want to stress us out!
Thank you so much! So yes, you can mix it up if you like and have a kiddo that’s strong in science like my oldest. However, if they’re not, I would suggest tackling the different topics (can mix it up within the same category) that are geared for that grade. For example, 6th grade can be anything under Life Science umbrella. 7th grade, anything under Earth Science. 8th grade anything under Physical science. I can’t add a picture here, I showed it on the video, but if you need a clear picture of the ones offered in each, DM me over on IG and I’ll send you the pic tried that shows the topics under each category.
Thank you! I was able to grab a screenshot from the video. He seems to enjoy science and is strong in math, but he hasn't had any really in depth science curriculums before and I'd like to prepare him for high school. I think the schedule you suggested will be perfect for us. Thank you for your help!
Thank you for this review @Arlene & Company! When comparing Elevate Science and Science Explorer would you say that these are similar or completely different - as far as parent implementation goes? Either curriculum looks interesting to me...I lean more toward wanting to purchase Elevate Science, but I hesitate to purchase it because you mentioned it could be a little on the teacher-intensive side (I think). I am mostly curious if you feel the same about this curriculum? I am also curious if you have looked at some of the MyWorld curriculum from Savvas? The Geography looks intriguing!
You’re most welcome! So they are definitely different, but let me explain why. Think of it as, Elevate (Savvas) being new school , vs this Prentice Hall (Explorer series) being old school. Actually, to give you more context, Savvas acquired Prentice Hall and are now under the same umbrella. I wouldn’t be surprised if Elevate was the program to replace it, but I can’t know for sure. Keeping that in mind, explorer you won’t have all the extras that are meant for teacher support in teaching a diverse range of learners (aside from the teacher guide). Do you need all the extras and the online enhancement options? It’s nice, but won’t keep you from using Explorer effectively. You still have some prep to do,as I explained in the video. That being said, the prep work with Explorer is quite a bit less. Reason being, Elevate is new school. All the interactive online platform and whistles, which is nice to have, but can be too much to translate for some. Elevate has the current standards alignment, if that’s important to you. But Explorer is still pretty solid. You also have to think about the type of learner you have. Can your student deal with doing things online and print , navigating and learning it? Or do they prefer, old school textbook. Read this, do this , let’s get to it type of deal. So really it’s not about the information itself, but the presentation is what makes them markedly different. Savvas social studies is not perfect, but a good option for those that like it all laid out and traditional approach. If you go into it knowing you will probably have to have some conversations or supplement areas that may be lacking (content wise), you will probably enjoy the hand holding it provides. Hubby school uses it, from what I gather, it’s well received. I don’t have strong feelings about it either way and we did play around with it at some point for a bit. The Geography is the better of the bunch in my opinion. But remember, you still have quite a bit of prep to do with Savvas. But once you get it, you get it.
@@Arleneandcompany Awesome, thank you for the great response! This makes a lot of sense. I most definitely don't need all the bells and whistles. I feel like my daughter enjoys having an assignment and being able to get it done without having to navigate through a bunch of "extras"! She actually doesn't enjoy doing school online (although she is very internet savvy) at all to be perfectly honest! What I like most about this is having the ability to learn about lots of different science topics in smaller chunks. Thanks again!
It depends how you pace it and how many days a week you do science . If you do main lesson blocks , you’ll go through it faster. If it’s couple times a week it can be 3 months or longer . It’s really hard to answer that without knowing how often you would do science and which topic. They are not all the same amount of chapters. A good goal, being realistic would be 3 books. But again , you can work it several ways. As for your second question, no, we blend science curricula like it’s in style 😆 We never use one thing. If I had to answer that, it depends what season we were in. In our current season, this is working really well. Oak Meadow science is still probably in our top slot. For our ND kiddos, it provides so many options and immersive experience, especially the high school years. So to say this is better? I can’t say that. Is this the best for our current season? Yes, but we are not using it alone. It really depends on how your child learns best. This is not for everyone. If your kiddo digs textbook formats, then it will probably be a hit. But not every kid does. With OM, they have the ability to pick which assignments they want to do for return demonstration. You can pick and choose with this one, but it’s not the same. And for elementary stage, my answer would be different. So in summary, it depends.
Glad it helped. Yes I showed and mentioned it here, this is the one I have linked in the description box. We’ve had it for a few years now and it works really well. amzn.to/3SIOnz6 (aff)
Your videos are so helpful in that you’re very informed, have clearly done your research and offer so many more options I wouldn’t have heard of otherwise. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words! Can’t tell you how long each review takes before I even hit record, so really means a lot to me ♥️
Your reviews are absolutely amazing, what a blessing to the homeschooling community! ❤thank YOU!!! ❤
Thank you so much, that means a lot to me 🫶🏽
This is such a wonderful review and overview! This looks like exactly what I want for my soon-to-be middle schooler. You said the physical science units are more challenging. In your opinion, are they units you'd hold off on until later in middle school, or are they okay to jump in with the first year? I was thinking we could do one from each section for 6th grade, but if they are geared more towards late 7th-8th then I don't want to stress us out!
Thank you so much! So yes, you can mix it up if you like and have a kiddo that’s strong in science like my oldest. However, if they’re not, I would suggest tackling the different topics (can mix it up within the same category) that are geared for that grade. For example, 6th grade can be anything under Life Science umbrella. 7th grade, anything under Earth Science. 8th grade anything under Physical science. I can’t add a picture here, I showed it on the video, but if you need a clear picture of the ones offered in each, DM me over on IG and I’ll send you the pic tried that shows the topics under each category.
Thank you! I was able to grab a screenshot from the video. He seems to enjoy science and is strong in math, but he hasn't had any really in depth science curriculums before and I'd like to prepare him for high school. I think the schedule you suggested will be perfect for us. Thank you for your help!
@@sewwhat85my pleasure! Hope he enjoys it 😊
Thank you for this review @Arlene & Company! When comparing Elevate Science and Science Explorer would you say that these are similar or completely different - as far as parent implementation goes? Either curriculum looks interesting to me...I lean more toward wanting to purchase Elevate Science, but I hesitate to purchase it because you mentioned it could be a little on the teacher-intensive side (I think). I am mostly curious if you feel the same about this curriculum?
I am also curious if you have looked at some of the MyWorld curriculum from Savvas? The Geography looks intriguing!
You’re most welcome! So they are definitely different, but let me explain why. Think of it as, Elevate (Savvas) being new school , vs this Prentice Hall (Explorer series) being old school. Actually, to give you more context, Savvas acquired Prentice Hall and are now under the same umbrella. I wouldn’t be surprised if Elevate was the program to replace it, but I can’t know for sure. Keeping that in mind, explorer you won’t have all the extras that are meant for teacher support in teaching a diverse range of learners (aside from the teacher guide). Do you need all the extras and the online enhancement options? It’s nice, but won’t keep you from using Explorer effectively. You still have some prep to do,as I explained in the video. That being said, the prep work with Explorer is quite a bit less. Reason being, Elevate is new school. All the interactive online platform and whistles, which is nice to have, but can be too much to translate for some. Elevate has the current standards alignment, if that’s important to you. But Explorer is still pretty solid. You also have to think about the type of learner you have. Can your student deal with doing things online and print , navigating and learning it? Or do they prefer, old school textbook. Read this, do this , let’s get to it type of deal. So really it’s not about the information itself, but the presentation is what makes them markedly different.
Savvas social studies is not perfect, but a good option for those that like it all laid out and traditional approach. If you go into it knowing you will probably have to have some conversations or supplement areas that may be lacking (content wise), you will probably enjoy the hand holding it provides. Hubby school uses it, from what I gather, it’s well received. I don’t have strong feelings about it either way and we did play around with it at some point for a bit. The Geography is the better of the bunch in my opinion. But remember, you still have quite a bit of prep to do with Savvas. But once you get it, you get it.
@@Arleneandcompany Awesome, thank you for the great response! This makes a lot of sense. I most definitely don't need all the bells and whistles. I feel like my daughter enjoys having an assignment and being able to get it done without having to navigate through a bunch of "extras"! She actually doesn't enjoy doing school online (although she is very internet savvy) at all to be perfectly honest! What I like most about this is having the ability to learn about lots of different science topics in smaller chunks. Thanks again!
@@Liz-ln1fe my pleasure! Hope you find your best match!
Typically, how long does one book take to complete? Is this the most useful science you have used for neurodiversity?
It depends how you pace it and how many days a week you do science . If you do main lesson blocks , you’ll go through it faster. If it’s couple times a week it can be 3 months or longer . It’s really hard to answer that without knowing how often you would do science and which topic. They are not all the same amount of chapters. A good goal, being realistic would be 3 books. But again , you can work it several ways. As for your second question, no, we blend science curricula like it’s in style 😆 We never use one thing. If I had to answer that, it depends what season we were in. In our current season, this is working really well. Oak Meadow science is still probably in our top slot. For our ND kiddos, it provides so many options and immersive experience, especially the high school years. So to say this is better? I can’t say that. Is this the best for our current season? Yes, but we are not using it alone. It really depends on how your child learns best. This is not for everyone. If your kiddo digs textbook formats, then it will probably be a hit. But not every kid does. With OM, they have the ability to pick which assignments they want to do for return demonstration. You can pick and choose with this one, but it’s not the same. And for elementary stage, my answer would be different. So in summary, it depends.
I put a few in my Thrift Books cart. Thank you! Are you able to suggest any good quality microscope we could utilize in our homeschool?
Glad it helped. Yes I showed and mentioned it here, this is the one I have linked in the description box. We’ve had it for a few years now and it works really well.
amzn.to/3SIOnz6 (aff)
As always I appreciate all you do. 🫶 You’re the best!
Thank you so much, truly appreciate you 🫶🏽